Between Life and Survival
by Voelen
Summary: Two companions: one with a painful past, the other with a heavy secret. One enemy: a man who has lost himself in his dreams. Retribution time has begun. Elucifer/Duke
1. First Encounter

_Hello again, everyone ! I am alive, and I come back to post a new little something for you. I hope you'll enjoy it. The inspiration just struck at me some days ago, and I had to start writing again. I tried to take all the good things from my first story, and to improve the bad things. I don't know if I succeeded, but I hope you will tell me. And now, enjoy yourself._

**Chapter 1 : First Encounter**

The night was almost quiet. Which was a strange thing in itself. Normally, with winter nearing, one could hear the bears making the last preparations for their three months slumber, and the birds which hadn't left the forest would quarrel for the rarefying food. But not tonight. Duke prepared his bow, sensing the danger. He was about to go back to his little home when he had sensed the change in the forest atmosphere. He had seen some birds fly away from some place half a kilometer away from his position, and so had decided to go check the strange occurrence. If some hunter had come to this part of the forest, he would kill him (if the irritated bears didn't before him). And if it wasn't for the forest, but for him... Then he had to be prepared for the worst. He was easily recognizable, with his long white hair he put into a braid, his bright red eyes and his pale skin, a dead give away. He walked toward the disturbance's last seen place, silent as a shadow, and ready for battle. He had taken only his bow and tow knives with him, thinking he would just have to hunt, and he cursed himself for not taking his sword.

He hadn't come ten meters away from his destination when he saw what he was searching for. Nine soldiers were circling a lone man. Around them, there were around ten unmoving bodies. From the way they had been killed, the man must have used a rather large weapon. As he seemed only armed with a knife, he must have lost it during the fight, hence his difficult situation. Duke didn't want to intervene. He had no reason to. But looking at the soldiers more closely, he recognized their uniforms. The Empire. Zaphias. They were enemies. There was a chance they had also come for him, and he couldn't take the chance to let them take him by surprise. He had to attack now, when they were occupied with the other man.

He notched an arrow, and aimed at the soldier who posed as the chief. If he could kill or hurt him, he would be able to gain some time when the others regrouped. It was far from his position, but there wasn't much wind. He stringed the bow, breathed in and released the string while he breathed out. The arrow hit his target in the throat, killing him in one blow. The other soldiers, surprised to have more than one enemy, didn't react right away, and Duke had time to kill another man before they scattered and ran toward him. Their original target used the diversion to retrieve his sword, and to dress some bad looking wound. Duke threw one last arrow at an unlucky soldier, who wasn't killed, but severely hurt. Then he took two long knives out, and went to fight his opponents, who were surprised again by the fact he didn't try to run, like any bowman would do. Too bad he wasn't an archer. He attacked a soldier before said man had time to react, and he took the sword from the dying man, and dropped one knife. He hadn't taken his sword with him, having no use of it to hunt, and he regretted it now. The sword he just took was heavier, and less balanced. But he was a talented swordsman, and it only took some dodging around to get used to it. He managed to disarm one of his attackers before another tried to strike him from behind. He dodged and riposted, cutting the other's throat with the knife he used in his left hand, which his opponent seemed to have forgotten about. Mortal error.

And then the earth shook. His four opponents were thrown to the ground while he managed to stay on his two feet with some difficulty. By the time the soldiers recovered, his ally was in them, seemingly not disturbed by the earthquake. He killed two men before they could react, and, when the earthquake subsided, Duke, who had retrieved his balance, killed another. The last man, a look of utter horror on his face, dropped his sword, trying to look as innocuous as possible.

"I yield !" He cried out, terrified. Duke left his sword where it was, under the seemingly young man's throat. The soldier looked at him, silently praying.

"How did you know where to find me ?" The man he had saved asked, in an almost polite voice.

"I... I don't know... Sir." The soldier answered. "I just followed the orders. I swear !" He seemed ready to pass out, or to piss on himself. Duke would prefer the former.

"Please, lower your sword. Killing him wouldn't achieve anything." His ally asked, always polite. Duke shook his head. He couldn't do that. If he did, the soldier would report having seen a long haired albino in the woods, and the Empire would send men to kill or capture him. The other seemed to understand he wouldn't lower his weapon, as he sighed. "At least do not make him suffer, please." Duke cut the young soldier's throat.

"We should bury the bodies." The other man said when he joined him. He sighed, and send a reproachful glare to him, then seemed to remember he shouldn't be angry at his savior for killing an enemy, even a disarm one. "Thank you for you help. I would have been killed without your intervention."

Duke only nodded. He took the time to look at the man he had saved, now that neither of them was fighting for his life. He looked to be about thirty five. He was a tall man, at least 6'2 feet, and rather muscular. Not the showy type, more the consequence of intense training with an heavy sword he seemed to use perfectly. He was attractive, with a well made face. His eyes were of the brightest green, intelligent looking and seeming to see through one's soul. His skin was tanned by hours spend under the sky. All in all, he was a beautiful man.

Duke turned toward the scattered bodies and went to gather them in one place. He wanted to burn them, but if there were other soldiers, it would attract them here, and he really couldn't afford it.

"Hey, wait up." The other said, surprised his ally wouldn't even talk back to him. "At least you could tell me your name ? I'm Elucifer." He extended a hand.

"Duke." He answered after a pause. And he turned without a second glance, ignoring the other's sight. They had to bury those bodies. Presentations could wait.

WMWMW

It wasn't until two hours later (after having done their tedious job) that Duke took interest in the new forest's guest. It was dawn by that time, and both of them were exhausted. The white haired man signaled for his companion to follow him, and took the path toward his home. He knew he shouldn't lead the man here, in his own 'sanctuary', but it was much to dangerous to go toward the caves, where bears were making their winter home. He took great care not to follow a direct road, as much to lose potential prosecutors as to prevent his guest from knowing exactly were they were going.

They arrived at his house half an hour later. It was a small place, built between a cliff and the forest, separated from the later by thirty meters of tree free space. Its position made it a good strategical place. No one could approach undetected from the front, and no one could come from behind.

"Follow exactly my steps." Duke instructed. He had placed many traps around his house, to prevent any intruder (be they animals or humans) from entering while he wasn't there. Another protection he rather liked.

He opened the door and motioned for the other to come in. There was only one room. One side of it was occupied by a bed, another by a little kitchen. A table was positioned at the opposite of the room. There were weapons on it, and some bottles of dubious content (herbs means as medicine, as Duke couldn't go see a doctor each time he was sick or hurt). The fireplace contained only ashes now, the fire having burning down for two much time. Duke cursed silently, and went to light it again.

"Nice little place." Elucifer commented. "Did you build it ?"

"No. It was abandoned when I arrived, so I restored it. Are you hungry ?"

"Honestly, yes. Those guys have chased me for three days, and I really hadn't time to rest or eat very much."

"How are your wounds ?"

"It's fine. I lost some blood, but nothing too serious if I can rest a little. Can I help in anything ?" He asked, because one didn't get saved by another and then do nothing. It was only normal he would help his savior, even in small ways like cooking.

"Could you go bring some firewood in ? It's stored on the side of the house."

Elucifer immediately went out, while Duke busied himself with cooking. Fortunately, he had a good stock of food, so he wouldn't starve during the winter, even if the man stayed for a week. But for that, he would have to know if he could stay here. The soldiers seemed to have been surprised to see him, so it was entirely possible what happened was only a coincidence. But he could take no chance. If there was even the slightest risk someone knew he was here, he would have to go.

Half an hour later, both of them had finish eating, and both of them knew the time of questioning was coming. Elucifer seemed to have decide to let his host begin, and so he did.

"Why were those men chasing you ?"

"Ah, a good question. I can't give you an entire answer, and I'm sorry for that. But if I told you, I would have to kill you." He smiled, but Duke could see he was serious. "All I can tell you is that I came from another kingdom, one which the Empire seems to have a problem with. I was coming for a diplomatic trip with them, but we were attacked by those soldiers. I had to run, to protect... something." He added after a pause, and Duke could see there was no point in asking what this 'something' was. Another secret to add. "They were too many for me to handle, so I tried to kill as many separately. Those were one of the last, but I fear others are coming. I will leave as soon as I can. You don't seem to like the Empire very much, so I can only assume you're hiding from them. Don't worry, I won't endanger you. It would be a poor way to repay you."

Duke nodded. The man was right. He was a fugitive, and if the Empire were to find him there, he would be killed. He sighed.

"I will give you food and a map. Maybe you'll be able to survive with that. I may have a coat which would suit you." He added after a pause. The man only wore light looking jacket, and with winter approaching, the cold could very well kill him.

"Thank you. I am very grateful. I will be gone by tomorrow morning." The other promised.

WMWMW

Morning never came. By twilight, one of Duke's traps activated itself, and Elucifer saw three shadows, undoubtedly humans', in the forest.

"I'm sorry." The tanned man said. "I didn't think they were so close."

Duke didn't answer, taking his sword (his, not the one he took from the dead soldier), his bow and arrows, and three knives. He took out two coats and two bags, and began packing some food and water. When he was finished, he threw a coat and a bag at Elucifer, and motioned for him to follow.

"We're surrounded." The taller man pointed out.

Duke just pushed a cabinet out a wall. Behind it was a door.

"It's a small tunnel, which lead not to far away. But as they think we can't go out of here, it will be enough if we run. Follow me now."

After Elucifer entered, his companion pushed the furniture back in place, and went down the passage. He hoped the soldiers wouldn't come in too soon, as they would discover the secret passageway easily enough. But they could manage to take some advance.

"The passage was also there when you arrived ?" Elucifer asked curiously.

"Yes. I think the precedent owner was a poacher of some sort, so it make sense. Now please be quiet."

They emerged five minutes later in a cave. Duke only hopped that no bear had claimed it when he wasn't looking. There weren't many of them in the forest, but enough to worry. Fortunately, it seemed nobody was there. The white haired man then continued his way, leading his companion toward the exit of the forest. He knew it by heart, having lived in it for more than five years. It would be a great advantage if their prosecutors caught up with them. Duke mentally visualized the forest. They would have to avoid any bigger path than one of a deer, and circle around the house to avoid the soldiers as best as they could. There was of course no certitude no enemy was patrolling outside of this area, but they would be less in number, so more easily dealt with.

"Alright, this way." He murmured, his voice only slightly above the sound of the wind in the trees.

He lead his companion toward a path only his trained eyes could see. The night had fallen, which was as good for him. The soldiers would have to be careful, not knowing the way, and not seeing much, but he could navigate only by the moon's light. The two companions went toward the mountains. Duke planned to follow them, knowing there was a path through them some kilometers away. He just had to hope nobody would think about it, as any other path toward an exit would bring the soldiers right in front of the exit. They couldn't go back. They had to move forward. He moved silently, pleased to see Elucifer could almost do the same. The noises he did wasn't big enough to attract attention from far away, but they would have to be careful if they neared an enemy. Just as he thought that, a saw two soldiers patrolling not far away. They were right in their path, and they didn't seem to move far enough to go through them undetected. Duke took out his bow. He would have to be quick and precise. He notched an arrow, and aimed at the man who was the furthest from him. And he let the arrow fly, not bothering to see if it had hit its target before taking another and aiming at the surprised surviving soldier, who didn't have the time to cry out before joining his comrade. Duke didn't put away his arrow before he was sure no other sound could be heard. Then he continued toward his goal. They couldn't take the time to hide the corpses, so they could only hope nobody would discover them for some time. He turned to see if Elucifer was still following him, and the other man smiled at him, silently telling him he trusted him to lead them out of this mess.

They arrived at the mountain's path half an hour later. Duke didn't dare going too fast, fearing the noise they would make would attract unwanted attention, but he also feared the soldiers had already given chase. Before leaving the house, he had make a lively fire, to make the soldiers think they were still awake, hoping they waited for them to go to sleep, unaware of the danger. If they follow this plan, they still had maybe another half an hour before the chase. But in the other case, they were already hunted. Through the path, they would have to walk uncovered, and they would be easily spotted by soldiers if there were any. There would be a fight in that case, which would undoubtedly attract the attention. But looking at the path, Duke didn't see anyone. As it was well hidden, the soldiers mustn't even know it was here, so they wouldn't guard it, but he hadn't survived in hoping. And so he armed his bow, and motioned for Elucifer to lead the way. He would cover him up in case of danger. They advanced toward the path, staying in the cover of the forest for as long as they could. When they had to come out, they tried to be as silent as possible, trying to hear any strange noise coming from possible enemies. When they didn't hear anything, Duke motioned for his companion to accelerate a little, and they went into the narrow path between the mountains.

"Do you think they have given chase ?" Elucifer asked when they were far enough from the forest. He kept his voice low, knowing those kind of narrow passage was subjected to echo.

"By now, yes, they must have." Duke answered. Counting on his little plan and the secret passageway, they should be at least an hour ahead of their enemies. And said soldiers would still have to find the path. "But we're still ahead of them. Let's continue. We have a day long journey to cross the mountain, and if they caught up with us here, we are as good as dead."

WMWMW

Dawn has come and gone, and Duke had yet to see any trace of the soldiers. It was a good thing, he tried to tell himself. But he wasn't really convinced of his own thoughts. Those men had managed to follow them to his house, even with the detours he had taken, in less than a day. They didn't seem to be the type of people who would abandon a prey. They had to be searching them, and if they had horses, they would be able to caught up them soon enough.

And then Duke heard some noise. A simple rock had been dislodged by a disturbance in the ground, and was rolling toward them. He lowered himself to the ground, trying to determine if there were any vibrations which could indicate him if there was an immediate danger. And the vibrations he felt.

"Horses. More than ten of them." He judged. "They are nearing us. We must hurry."

How could they have found the passage so rapidly ? Had they found their trace, perhaps ? But in the night, and with the rocky ground they had walked on, it shouldn't have been possible. Hearing the horses nearing them, he decided that such questions weren't the priority in such a situation, and he followed Elucifer, who had begun running down the passage. He knew the little canyon opened to a cliff, which overlooked a large river. After this passage, they would be able to run into a dense part of the forest, where the horses would be disadvantaged. But they had to go until there.

The horses were nearing rapidly. How could they outrun them ?

He heard the river, the loud sound of the current.

And the horses were right behind them, not ten meters away. They wouldn't make it to the forest.

And when he looked at his goal, he saw that it didn't even mattered. Other soldiers were waiting for them at the entrance of the forest. How did they manage to do it ? How could they know the forest that well ?

He heard Elucifer cursed when he saw they were trapped.

He stopped near the cliff. Looked at the sunken. It was their only chance. If they stayed here, they would be outnumbered and captured. And Duke preferred death to it. He would never go back _there_. Never.

"Duke ? What are you doing ?" Elucifer asked while he went to take out his sword. He would fight to his death obviously.

"Follow me."

With those words, he threw himself off the cliff and into the river, praying he would be able to swim toward the surface. He heard Elucifer scream, and he wondered if he had follow or if he had preferred to stay and fight, like a good soldier would._ Then I'm not a good soldier, am I_. He knew it would come to that one day. He knew he couldn't hide himself until he died of old age. And now he would die because he had help the wrong person.

He fall into the agitated water, and sensed the air going out of his lungs from the impact. He had to break the surface, and quickly. But the current was too strong, and his body, already tired by the race and the lack of sleep, didn't seem to have enough strength to do it. He slowly felt consciousness falling out of his grasp. And all became dark.


	2. New Beginning

_Hello again. Well, it's been a week since I posted the first chapter, which was either ignored by you or so bad that you didn't want to review. If this is the second cause, please just tell me, and I'll stop writing. In any case, I'm posting the second chapter, for those you are interested but didn't review for some reason. So, please, enjoy._

Chapter 2 : New Beginning

He could hear a fire burning, and the birds silently moving. There was water near, moving water which made a faint noise. He herd someone cooking, and singing quietly to himself. It was a strange lullaby, one he had never heard before. The voice was that of a man, a grave voice, and yet the lullaby, which seemed to be made to be sang by a woman, was beautiful.

He felt the ground under him. It was rocky and uneven. There was something covering him, and he felt he was naked beside it. Why would someone undress him like that ? Most importantly in his eyes, he couldn't feel his weapons. He hadn't any knife close to him, and that made him more vulnerable than his lack of clothes.

He opened his eyes and saw a cloudy sky, and a fire burning. He saw trees, and a shadow. The man was still singing quietly. Opening his eyes made his heart ache strangely. He must have hit his head somewhere along the way. And then he remember the race against the soldier, and the desperate fall into the river. He remembered drowning, and the dark. And he remembered his companion scream. So he had follow. The song had ceased, he noted suddenly.

"How are you feeling ?" Elucifer asked.

Duke didn't answered, and sat up slowly, trying not to make his head hurt too much. He felt a little self conscious, being there, naked in front of this guy (who was the only one who could be responsible for that, which was even more embarrassing). Elucifer seemed to realize it, as he blushed a little.

"You were wet to the bone." He tried to explain himself, seemingly really embarrassed. "So... Well... You could have fallen sick. Sorry. Your clothes are dried now."

He handed them to the white haired man, the blush ever present on his face. Duke was beginning to pity him. He took his clothes, nodding in thanks, and his companion busied himself with cooking again, trying to look anywhere but at him. When he was finished with dressing, Duke searched for his weapons, and only found two knives and his sword.

"Your bow broke, I think, because I didn't find it." Elucifer intervened.

"What happened exactly ?"

"After you jumped off the cliff (and gave me a heart attack, if you want to know), I followed you. I supposed it was our only chance to survive, considering the number of soldiers after us. I managed to find you and to surface. I think we are near the end of the forest. We should move as quickly as we can. Fortunately, the bags with the food are intact, so we won't die from hunger."

"Making a fire is dangerous, you know." Duke pointed out after a pause. Some things bothered him in this story. How Elucifer, with his large sword, could have managed to bring them both (and his sword, obviously, for it was resting near its owner) to the surface, when he hadn't been able to ? Something wasn't right in here, but he choose to let it drop, figuring it was part of the 'if I tell you, I'll have to kill you' thing.

"I know, but we were both wet and all, and as the current brought us far from the soldiers, I thought it was safe enough. From the state you were in, I feared you would fall ill or something if I didn't."

Duke nodded in understanding, but he still didn't feel really secure. Beside, without his bow, they wouldn't be able to protect themselves from a distance, and hunting would prove difficult if they begin to lack food. Fortunately, he had brought enough for a week if they were careful. Maybe y that time they would have been able to find a village or something, where they would be able to buy other supplies. If Elucifer had money, for he hadn't.

"Let's eat, alright ?" his companion brought him back to reality. "Then, if you're feeling rest enough, we'll leave, and try to make enough distance between the soldiers and us."

WMWMW

They moved early in the afternoon, after resting a little. Neither of them had a clear idea of where they were exactly, so the priority was finding a village or any landmark for Duke to know his way. They had left the cover of the forest an hour ago, and were progressing in a vast valley. They didn't follow the river, knowing that if the soldiers were searching them, they would do exactly that. Although it seemed useless. They had known were the two fugitives were even when Duke had made great care to hide them. The way they had know where to find them was almost... magical. Like the strange earthquake, the day before. The forest didn't suffer from any shake, and this one seemed to have only affected the part where they were fighting. All of this was strange. Duke looked at his companion, who, if he seemed stressed, didn't seem to wonder about the soldiers' behavior. Duke hadn't tried to extract answers from him yet, for there wasn't enough time, but as soon as they would be in a more or less secure place, he would. And he had every right to know after all the trouble the man had brought him.

After an hour walk, Duke stopped in front of a rock mound, finally recognizing something. It was a landmark for every hunter near the forest. If they went east from here, they would arrived at a little village which lived from hunting and fishing. So they would go toward the river. Going north would lead them to the forest Duke had lived in for five years. And to the south was a large road which lead either to Zaphias (with a two weeks journey if one was walking) or to Halure, a little hamlet of farmers.

"Where are we going ?" Elucifer asked.

"There is a village near there. We would have to go toward the river, but maybe we could buy horses." And a new bow and supplies. "But we may encounter some soldiers."

"we don't have much choice. If we can ride a horse instead of walking, we would be able to lose the soldiers more easily. I will go, through." Elucifer added. "You stand out too much with your long white hair. Unless you cut it." He stopped at the poisonous look Duke sent him. "Okay, I'll go then. Lead the way."

And so did Duke. They entered the forest once again, and he was glad to be in the cover of the trees. He much preferred it, feeling less vulnerable.

"Hey, Duke." his companion called after him. "Why do you keep your hair so long ? I mean, it just doesn't seem very... practical, unlike all your clothes and weapons and... pretty much everything else."

"It is... a promise." Duke simply answered, and the other knew he wouldn't say more than that.

"Well, your hair is beautiful and all, so I suppose it would be a real shame to cut it." He said instead. It was true, but the fact that he had seen the guy naked not a day ago made it more like flirting than he would have liked. Duke stared at him like he was some kind of madman, and so he didn't say anything which could be dangerous for his life.

WMWMW

They arrived near the village in the afternoon, and Duke stayed in the cover of the forest while Elucifer went to the village, his clothes covered by a coat. He had assured Duke that he had more than enough money, and that he knew how to bargain. If asked, he would say he was some kind of traveler, and that he had lost his way while in the forest. The second horse was for a friend of his he was to meet in Halure, from where they would go toward the sea. It wasn't a very good story, but the villagers weren't well educated, so maybe it would do the trick. But if there was any trace of a soldier in town, Elucifer was to go back into the forest immediately, horses bought or not. Duke had asked if his companion could buy a new bow and some supplies, although he had precised that it wasn't important enough to linger in the village. They could buy it later, in another village farther from the dangerous area.

Duke hid himself in a still leafy tree, watching everything around him. He had hidden the trail they had left as best as he could with what time and means he had, but if a soldier was to find where they were heading, they were as good as dead. Their only chance was fleeing as far as they could, while the soldiers could still think they were dead.

Elucifer came out of the village an hour later, with two horses in tow and a bag (supplies, most probably) on his shoulder. The horses weren't the beautiful beasts the soldiers used, and weren't the best possible for an escape, but in a little village, it was probably the best Elucifer had been able to find. At least they would be able to outrun a little the soldiers. Duke went down his tree and went to meet his companion.

"We should go." the tall man said. "I didn't see any soldier in town, but, but I know if any come by, the villagers will know who they are searching."

With that, he mounted the first gelding, a horse with a dark gray mane. Duke followed his lead, and mounted the light brown one. Elucifer seemed to know where he wanted to go, so he just let his horse follow the other. They rode in silence for half an hour. Finally, Elucifer seemed to think they were far enough to talk.

"I got a map from the villagers. Because, you know, as I lost myself, they feared for me." He joked. "But I couldn't find a bow for you, sorry. No one wanted to sell one of their beloved bow to a stranger. It was easier with the horses."

"Many of them are hunters. Their bow is their soul, as they say. I am not surprised. So, where are we going, if you know the way ?"

The man seemed to hesitate, and Duke suddenly knew why. They had travel together until now because they had had no choice. Now, they had horses, and supplies, and they could just part ways. Maybe it would be the best, he mused. After all, two trails to follow would mean the soldiers would have to go in two separate groups. Beside, with the mystery revolving around Elucifer, it was no wonder why he didn't want to bring a stranger where he lived. Duke only wondered where he could go now. His sanctuary in the forest was compromised, and he had no idea where he could hide now. But maybe he should stop hiding, and finally fulfill his promise ?

"If you agree, we could go together until Myorzo. It's out of the Empire, so both of us should be safe by there. I should be able to meet with some people I know and you... well, you could hide better out of their reach. So, deal ?"

"Alright. Let's go together until Myorzo. I suppose we have better chances of surviving if we do."

WMWMW

They traveled for two days. They had to let the horses, which were not used to so much traveling, rest frequently, but with no one to follow them (for now), they could do it without fearing too much for their lives. They avoided villages as much as they could, going by the forest and the animal paths rather than the large or even small roads. From time to time, they could see soldiers from afar, but they didn't seem to be searching for anything, so they had to be patrolling, and not even aware of the two fugitives some kilometers away. It was a good thing, meaning that they hadn't all the army after them. It didn't mean they could be less than careful, but it was still reassuring.

They had at least a week of traveling left until Myorzo. Duke didn't even know if they would be allowed to enter. The city was lead by the Krytians, an elf-like people who, for the most part, hid themselves from humans. Elucifer didn't seem worried about it, so Duke could only assumed he had some way to enter. But if they couldn't (or, most probably, if they refused for Duke to enter, as his companion had said he knew some people there who would help him), he didn't know what he would do. The city was the only safe place he could go now. Situated right into the forest of Egothor, it was well protected from humanity by some strange magic, or so people said. Duke didn't know if it was true, but the fact that no human had been able to enter the forest inclined him to believe in this rumor. After all, the fact that humans couldn't use any magic didn't mean the Krytians couldn't.

"You seem worried." Elucifer interrupted his thoughts.

"I do not think the Krytians will be pleased to see us. Or more likely only me."

"Ah, don't worry, I'll make us enter. I know some people here, I told you."

"And how did you manage to meet people in such a place ?" He was tired of all those secrets. "Is it again some other secret ?"

"I'm sorry. You risked your life for me, and I can't even tell you so many things... I wish I could, but... It would be too dangerous. And in my defense, I don't know anything about you either." Elucifer countered.

Duke fall silent. It was too true. But contrary to Elucifer's secrets, his had nothing to do with their actual situation. Well, almost nothing to do. And he didn't want to talk about all of this. His past only concerned himself, and no outsider he knew for less than a week would come in there. Even if Elucifer probably thought the same thing.

"Do you believe in magic ?" He asked instead to his companion.

"Magic ?" Elucifer seemed surprised the other hadn't pressed the original subject. "Yes, I believe in it. I've seen Myorzo. The city is ruled by magic. You'll see, it's really beautiful."

"Do you think those soldiers used magic to follow us, back at the forest ?"

"I don't know how they could. If humans could use magic, we would know it by now. But honestly, I don't know how they could have trapped us so easily without it, considering you know the forest by heart." Elucifer answered.

"And the earthquake ? Was it magic too ?" If Elucifer was beginning to answer his questions, he could try to press further. But by the way the man looked at him at this question, he knew he would have no answer here. He sighed.

"Duke, I think we have a problem." Elucifer suddenly said. And as Duke followed his gaze, he could not help but agree. A troop of maybe thirty soldiers mounted on horses were riding right toward them. They were still far, maybe two kilometers away, but as they were in a valley, they had been easily spotted.

"Why didn't we see them before ?" A group that large should have been spotted from much more than two kilometers in such place devoid of any obstacles.

"No use to ask how, unless you want to ask them. Let's go now !"

With that, Elucifer made his horse turn around before making him gallop. Duke spend one last stare at the soldiers before doing the same. But he knew the soldiers would catch up with them easily, mounted on tireless trained horses while theirs weren't used to such activity. If he had his bow, he would have taken his chance after having killed some men from the distance, but now... Thirty men were too much.

"Where are we going like that ?" He asked Elucifer, for he seemed to know exactly where he wanted to go.

"I know some place where we will be able to hide or fight them off more easily. Come on !"

They entered the forest, always with the horses running like hell was on their doorstep, which wasn't too far from the truth. Duke feared one of them would break a leg in the uneven ground. But they couldn't slow down, for the soldiers wouldn't. He urged his horse to speed up a little more, trying to follow with the other horse.

And then his fears became true. One of his horse's leg hit a branch, and Duke was sent to the ground when the horse, madden by the pain, kicked out. Fortunately, he was a good enough rider, or he would have break his neck. But now he was without a means to flee, and the soldiers were rapidly approaching. Elucifer was nowhere to be seen.

His horse had flee out of reach, but he still had his weapons and he had managed to grab his bag. So he could survive in the forest. If he didn't have thirty men trying to kill him, that's it. He ran. If he could find some natural hiding place, he would be safe. Beside, the soldiers were originally following Elucifer, so maybe they would dismiss him as a bodyguard or something and let him flee in peace. A futile hope really.

He ran until coming to small cliff. A cliff the horses wouldn't be able to climb. And so he did. If he could go up to the cliff, he would be secure for a little while. Not long, as the soldiers would follow, but at least the race would be more equitable. He was three quarters from the top when he heard the first horse coming. He quickened his climb, trying to go up before the first arrow could be sent. He didn't manage this fit, but as the man who had shot seemingly didn't know how aim, he did climb the cliff without injury. He only spared one glance to the soldiers, assessing their number. Only ten men had gone after him. Obviously, he wasn't seen as the most dangerous. With that done, he turned and ran, cursing for his lack of bow, as the soldiers at the bottom of the cliff were sitting targets.

He managed to find a little river, not deep enough to swim in, but perfect to hide his trail. He walked in it for a time, only enough throw his prosecutors off, and then continued his way into the forest. Elucifer had talked about a place where they could hide, but he didn't know what it was, and if he was going in the right direction, so trying to find it on his own would be a waste of time. But if he could separate the soldiers, he would be able to kill them. Ten men together would be dangerous to attack, but if he could just make them split in two, then he could take them.

He hid himself behind a rock, waiting for the soldiers to catch up with him. The little river trick seemed to have worked, as only three soldiers could be heard and seen by the time they came. Perfect. He took out his knives, and prepared himself. The soldiers were approaching, but they didn't seem to know he was here. Good. Apparently, their little trick could only work on Elucifer, or he would already be dead. One soldier, a bow in hand, lingered a little too long behind his comrades, and Duke took the opening. He threw a knife, which killed the man before he could react. He had time to get his knife back before the other two, hearing their comrade's body fall, turned around. Duke killed the first surprised man with his second knife, and threw himself at the third with his sword. The last surviving soldier seemed to have realized what was happening, as he blocked the first blow with his sword. But he was nowhere near Duke's level, and when the white haired man feinted a blow at his right side, he went to block it, seeing he had been manipulated only when he sensed a sword piercing his shoulder. He had only the time to scream before Duke used his knife to cut his throat.

_Three down. Seven to kill._

He hid himself in a tree, waiting for the other soldiers, who must have heard the cry, to come. He hadn't to wait for long. Five other soldiers came into view. Two others followed less than a minute later. Duke waited, hidden in the tree, for his preys to do or say something. Anything they said could be used to plan.

"Where could he have gone ?" Asked one. Good, they thought he had fled. All the more surprising when he would attack.

"Maybe we should go back. Ask for reinforcement." This one was fearful. Young one perhaps, who didn't understand how one man could kill three and flee with his life. Easy target.

"He must have trapped them. But we will have him outnumbered. Do not worry." The chief, most probably. If he killed this one, some of the others would be thrown off balanced. First target.

He prepared a knife, targeting the chief, who fell soon after, the knife cutting through his throat. And the fearful soldier screamed out, dropping his sword in horror. Duke jumped from his tree and onto the nearest knight, cutting his throat with the other knife. Then he jumped to avoid a blow from another soldier who had recovered from the shock. He parried another attack his sword and went to strike a man behind him, slashing violently at his unprotected arm which hold the weapon. The man dropped his sword, screaming in agony. Duke didn't waste time to finish him, knowing he wasn't a threat anymore.

The first assailant tried to hit him again, but he parried and, using his knife, hit the man's leg, deep enough to make him retreat a little. Not enough for him not to be a threat, through. There were four soldiers left, one of them a fearful young man, almost not a threat, the other a trained soldier, who posed a threat, even if he was hurt. Two knights tried to attack him together, but he dodged, and killed one of them with his sword while he lost his balance, not understanding how his adversary had managed to avoid the attack. But the other had gone behind him, and he struck at his arm before he could react. Fortunately, it wasn't deep enough to hinder his movements, but he would have to be more careful.

He spotted the fearful soldier, who had taken a crossbow and was arming it. Duke ran toward him, jumping out of the way of the arrow just in time, and thrust his sword in his abdomen. Then he turned around to face his two last opponents. The hurt one had managed to go back on his two feet, and both of the soldiers were advancing toward him. Duke prepared his knife and sword. He threw the former as a diversion and slashed at the unhurt knight, cutting his shoulder deep enough to make him drop his sword before hitting his throat. Then he turned at the most difficult adversary.

"You killed nine of my men all by yourself. I'm impressed. You really live up to your name, White Demon." So the man knew him. He wasn't like the others, young soldiers who never saw a real battle before.

He waited for the man to attack, and he used the fact he was hurt to throw him off balance. But the soldier countered, cutting him at stomach level. Duke dodged another attack, and riposted, striking at the man's armed hand. The knight almost dropped his weapon, but hold firm and avoid another attack from the white haired man. The latter used the move, following with his adversary, and managed to hit at his shoulder. Now he had taken the advantage, and the other knew it. There was a natural fear in his eyes, but also acceptance of his fate. He hadn't the time to parry another strike from Duke, and he fell to the ground.

The only survivor panted heavily. He was mostly unhurt, but taking on ten soldiers, even if all of them weren't well trained, had tired him out. But now he was free to roam the forest, as the other knights were after Elucifer. Unless he had already been killed or captured. But Duke couldn't do anything for him. Twenty soldiers were much more than what he could handle in his state. He retrieved his two knives, putting them away after cleaning them on one of the soldier's clothes, and did the same with his sword.

Now he only had to find out what had happened of Elucifer.


	3. Revelations

_Hello again. I must thank Okami and Taleslover for their reviews. I had promised myself I would post the third chapter as soon as I had review(s). Well, I am a little late for that, but I had first to reread the chapter, as some things weren't as good as I wanted them to be. So I correct it (most of it, I think). I hope you like it. And I'll post the fourth chapter in a week or so I think._

_Now, enjoy !_

Chapter 3 : Revelations

He spotted a few soldiers' corpses two hours later. Five of them. Either Elucifer had played at the same game he had, or he had been captured or forced to flee after killing those. Duke continued, following the trail made by the horses. He had to be careful, for if any knight was around here, he would be spotted immediately. He found three other corpses some time later, and another two after that. Elucifer was definitely playing the same game. Good thing. There were still ten soldiers with an unknown fate, through.

Still following the trail, he found some building, a castle like thing made with heavy rocks. It was half buried in the ground, and must be very old and abandoned for a long time. It had to be the safe place Elucifer had talked about. He entered it cautiously, taking his sword out. It was dark inside, and Duke couldn't possibly light anything without announcing his position to all the possibly remaining soldiers. So he advanced with a hand following the wall, trying not to lose his way. Easier said than done. He stumbled on a corpse one time._ Nine left_, he thought. Still too much. Finally, he arrived in a large room, which was less dark due to the presence of broken windows. There he saw something that shouldn't have been possible.

Elucifer was a the center of a circle formed by the nine remaining knights, and suddenly, the earth shook violently. Duke almost fell over, even at the distance, and the soldiers did fall. But Elucifer didn't. He raised a hand, and a fireball appeared above him, before descending on the fallen soldiers. Duke felt himself shaking. This man wasn't human. The first earthquake, a week or so ago, really wasn't natural. And he knew about Myorzo because of his nature. And he was chased because of it. The man wasn't human. But what was he, then ?

Elucifer raised his head from the bloodshed he just did, and met his gaze. And then Duke remembered what the man had said in his house, after he had saved him._"If I told you, I would have to kill you"_. He was about to kill him because of what he just saw. And Duke knew he could do nothing to stop him. Running away would do him no good, as the man could send one of his fireballs in the corridor he would have to take. He could only stay here, like a sitting target. He was too stunned to react.

"I didn't want for you to see it." Elucifer said regretfully. Duke knew what that meant. It was a nightmare. The man he had help survive, would now kill him for the same goal.

"I'm sorry."

The taller man said, and he raised a shaking hand, preparing another spell. Duke didn't know what to do. His instincts took over, and he dodged a large fireball before running toward his now enemy. The other took out his sword, and soon enough, they were entangled in a fight for their lives. But both of them, tired by their early fights, couldn't take the advantage over the other. Elucifer finally managed to jump far enough from his range to prepare a spell. And Duke knew he was doomed. In a desperate attempt to protect himself, he placed his sword in front of him in a defensive stance.

The spell hit. And then there was nothing.

WMWMW

When he opened his eyes, all was dark. He felt tired, and his body hurt. Did that mean he was alive ? He managed to sit, and still he could see only dark. He didn't hear anything. He was shaking, from cold or from fear, he didn't want to know.

"Elucifer ?"

He called out. If he was alive, then the other man must have changed his mind about killing him, so it should be alright to call him. And hearing someone, even a possible enemy, was better than hearing nothing. But there was no answer. He searched for his weapons. His sword was missing, but his knives were still here. He stood up, trying to find a wall, or anything to lean against. There wasn't the smell of burned flesh in the air, so he assumed he wasn't in the castle anymore, or at least not in the main hall.

"Elucifer ?"

He called again, because he really couldn't do anything else. He felt vulnerable, alone and blind. In the past week, he had learn to rely on the other man, and being all alone again, he felt uncomfortable. He finally found a wall, and tried to follow it to something, to anything. He would go mad in the dark. He found a door, and its handle. He turned it, and felt great relief when the door opened. He wasn't locked. There was still no light, and it was still freezing, but he was out of the room. He followed the wall again. He still heard no sound, not even a rat or a bird, aside from his footsteps. After what felt like an hour, he came at the end of the hallway. Another door. Still unlocked. But now he could see some light. He followed it. He wanted to call for Elucifer again, but he refrained himself. There was no telling who was there, ally or enemy.

He arrived in a church like room. There was a a large altar, and before it, a man. It wasn't Elucifer. It was _him_. The man he had swore to kill. What was he doing here ? Where was '_here _' anyway ? The man seemed to sense his approach, as he turned around. And then Duke stopped. His face was not that of a human. He smiled cruelly, showing long teeth, and his eyes were of an unnatural yellow. He took a sword, and Duke realized it was his sword.

"Did you think you could escape from me ?" The demon's voice was deep, deeper than his own. "And after stealing such an important treasure, none the less." He looked almost lovingly at the sword.

"I will kill you." Duke almost murmured to himself. He had sworn he would. The man (demon ?) had destroyed everything. His life, his family, his happiness. And he hadn't seen it until too late.

"Again with your petty revenge ? Oh Duke... " The demon smiled. "It's such a shame. You could have been a great asset, but you choose to oppose me. Their death isn't my fault, it is yours. And your father's. If he hadn't chosen the wrong side, he wouldn't have died with his wife in a tragic accident. And if you had follow me, your beautiful little sister would be a happy mother by now, don't you think ?"

Duke was shaking by now, but he did nothing.

"And then you saw me for what I was. And you took this great treasure to hinder my goals. Poor, poor thing." Again this patronizing smile, like he was scolding a little child.

Duke couldn't take it anymore. He took out his knives, and threw himself at the man-demon. He would kill him. Even if he had to die. But the demon just raised a hand, and Duke was reminded about the way Elucifer had done before sending his spell. He just had time to throw himself to the ground. The demon was preparing another spell, but Duke wouldn't let him. He jumped toward his enemy, and thrust his knife in his flesh, right into his heart. And he heard the demon laugh. He took out the weapon while Duke was stepping back. How could this be ? The demon raised his head, and smiled. He raised his sword, and Duke could not move. He could not move.

WMWMW

"Duke ! Duke wake up !"

He cried out, sitting up. He was shaking, and felt tears threatening to fall. _A dream, just a dream._ He tried to believe it, but didn't manage it. It had been too real. He tried to control the shaking of his body, but he could only see the demon's yellow eyes, and the look of horror in his sister's eyes, so, so long ago.

"Duke, are you okay ?"

She had been beautiful. Five years younger than him. She was engaged to a young noble she almost loved. He saw her beautiful blue eyes, her silky blond hair, the elegant way she walked. He heard her voice, the voice of a singer, when she told him she was happy to see him, and when she asked him to let his hair grow, because she thought it was beautiful. He heard her voice, her beautiful voice when she screamed in horror, when the man pierced her heart with a sword. He heard her voice when she saw him, and screamed for him to run, please run, brother.

"Duke, snap out of it !"

He looked up, and felt the tears falling down his face. Elucifer was here, obviously upset. He extend a hand and gently squeezed Duke's shoulder, seemingly not knowing what to do. With good reason. During their short travel, Duke had never really show much emotion. And now he was crying. He tried to calm himself, and after some time he managed it. He wiped his tears off of his face, and turn to face the still upset man.

"Are you... feeling alright ?" Elucifer tried.

Duke nodded, still shaken but not about to admit it, especially after the scene he had made not five minutes ago.

"What happened ?" He asked, wanting to know how he could still be alive.

"I don't know exactly. I... I tried to kill you." He seemed ashamed of himself now. "But you raised your sword, and the fire... just disappeared. You lost consciousness right after it. I brought you here." Here was a cave of some sort. "You were just unconscious at first, but an hour hour ago, you seemed to have a nightmare. I've been trying to wake you up since then."

"How much time was I unconscious ?"

"Five hours."

"And why... Didn't you kill me ?"

Elucifer lowered his head, like a scolded child.

"I'm sorry. I really am sorry about what happened in the castle. You just saw me using magic, and I feared you would try to attack me after that. I don't know how I could attack you like that. I suppose asking for forgiveness is pointless..."

"I think I can understand why you attacked me. I would have done the same if I had felt in any danger."

It didn't mean he forgave the man, and he wouldn't sleep unworried during the following nights, but he really understood.

"Duke ?" he raised his head, again looking at his almost killer. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you countered my magic ?"

Duke only shrugged. He had no idea of what happened back there. But he had his own questions, and he felt that now, Elucifer would answer them.

"So, who are you exactly ? I think you can tell me now."

Elucifer smiled a little, sensing answering any question would build a path toward forgiveness.

"I am an Entelexeia. You could say I am a human born with magic and a longer lifespan, I suppose." He tried to explain. "We live... in a region called Releweise. It is my kingdom, and I am their king." So on top of being a strange creature, he was the king of those creatures... What had he gotten into exactly ? "Our existence is a secret for most people, who would fear our power if they knew. But from time to time, we try to make contact with humans. This time, it didn't end well. I went with my guards to see the future Emperor, Sir Ioder, but like I told you, we were attacked on our way. I don't know what happened to the others. I had to flee, for if I had been caught, Releweise would be defenseless."

"Why didn't you used your magic to protect yourself ? The day of the attack and the night I met you ? You could have easily kill them at the time."

"We can't use our magic everywhere with the same power. It depend on... the magic in the air. Something you can't sense. In reality, we are sort of catalysts for the magic in the air. The less there is, the less we can use magic. Or we are slower and weaker when we manage to do. The soldiers knew it, I don't know how, and they attacked my men while we were crossing a... magical desert. In the forest, the magic was weak and I could only create a small earthquake. But at the river, the day after, it was stronger, and I used it to save us both."

Duke nodded. All of this was strange, but he began to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"I don't know how those humans have been able to trick us, and how they could know where we were, through. The only explanation is that one of our own has betrayed us, but I don't know why." Elucifer continued.

"Do you believe in demon ?" Duke suddenly asked, surprising the Entelexeia.

"What with those strange questions ?" He sighed. "Demons do exist. They come into our realm when called for a pact. Why do you want to know ?"

"Can they use magic ? A spell which looks like a black version of your fireball ?"

"Yes, they can use magic. Duke, is it about... your dream ? You talked about a demon in your sleep." He added before the surprised look the white haired man send him. "i thought you were talking about me."

"It was strange. Like I was really here. I remember everything of it. This demon... It was... someone I thought human. Someone I swore to kill. I think he could be the cause of your problems also."

"Why ?"

"Because, as there isn't any Emperor now since he died, this man is leading most of the Empire. His name is Alexei."

"Yes, I've heard about him. The Commandant of the knights. And you think your dream... showed you the truth ?"

"I don't know. I just know this man is dangerous, and power-hungry."

"He hurt you, didn't he ?"

Duke didn't answer. He could still see his sister's dead eyes if closed his own. Elucifer seemed to sense it wasn't a subject he was ready to talk about, and he dropped the subject.

"Well, in that case, we have the same enemy. Maybe we could travel together a little more, what do you think ?"

Duke nodded, silently thanking him for not asking questions. He would talk, one day or another, but not now. He just wanted to sleep, and to forget his sister's eyes.

WMWMW

They continued their journey toward Myorzo the day after. They had rested and replenished their strength and Elucifer had managed to find two horses. Two of the soldiers' horses, so trained beasts which would need less rest than the previous ones. Duke didn't know where his own was anyway. They didn't talked much to each other, the previous events and revelations still lingering in their heart and mind. Elucifer obviously was ashamed of his attempt at killing his companion, and said companion was still digesting the information he had been given. He still couldn't bring himself to trust the other man, but strangely, he wanted to forgive him in his heart him for his actions. In a sense, Elucifer had only tried to protect himself, so maybe it wasn't so abnormal. Or maybe it was the fact he liked the other's company, liked the fact he wasn't alone anymore. For now, they had a common enemy, and that was the more important.

Elucifer didn't bring the subject of Duke's dream and the reason of his tears, probably fearing the other would break if he asked. He wasn't used to see him so shaken, so he seemed to have decide to drop the subject for now. But Duke knew he would have to tell his companion the reason of his grudge against Alexei one day.

After having killed the soldiers who were pursuing them, they didn't encountered any other. Alexei couldn't send too many men to their death, and already, almost fifty had died. As they neared Myorzo, a week and a half later, the two companions felt some of their worry melt. It was the end of a part of the journey. Another one could begin.


	4. To the past and toward the future

Chapter 4 : To the Past and Toward the Future

When they entered Egothor forest, Duke hadn't the impression to be near winter. The trees still had all their summer leaves. There was no trace of a brown or yellow leaf. The birds were singing, like they would in spring.

"Is it the magic ?" He asked his companion.

"The unnatural weather ? Yes. I don't know why exactly, but seasons are reversed here. It is summer in winter and winter in summer. I think it is a side effect of some magic, as I don't understand how it could change anything."

Elucifer had lead them toward a small road, large enough to let carriages of goods pass. He had explained that the road was protected, and only those who harbored magic could find it. Another protection. But apart from the unnatural weather, Duke could see nothing magical. He supposed it was because he was human, and so powerless in this area. He contented himself with looking at the brightly colored birds and the flowers near the road. They were as safe as they could ever be now, and so he could let his guard down a little. Elucifer would tell him if there was any danger around.

During the journey (a calm one, after they had killed the soldiers), Duke had had time to think about his companion. They had now a common enemy, and technically they were allies, but the fact the man had tried to kill him (and would have succeed if not for the sword strange powers), Duke didn't know what to think about him. The Entelexeia had claimed having react on instinct, believing he was in danger and riposting accordingly. He had later explained that no humans were to be allowed to know of their existence. It was something Duke could understand, but he still couldn't trust the man completely. After all, if there was a law against him knowing of the Entelexeia, Elucifer could very well try to kill him again. But the man seemed genuinely repentant about what he had done. He was always silently apologizing, trying to make his companion comfortable during the journey, never missing an opportunity to apologize in one way or another. Duke didn't really how to react to that. Normally, when someone wanted to kill him, he tried until one of them died (until now, it was always the 'someone' in question). And so he didn't know if he was to consider Elucifer as an ally or an enemy. For now, their common enemy made them allies, but for how long ?

"We're almost here."

Duke looked up at his companion, who was smiling. He seemed happy to finally go to a civilized place without fearing for his life. Duke could not help but agree with him. Elucifer dismounted, motioning for the white haired man to do the same, and took the reins in his hand. They advanced toward a large river, and Duke wondered if they were to cross it, or if it was again a magical trick. Elucifer said something in a unknown language, and suddenly, the river seemed to cut itself in two, forming a dry passage. Elucifer began crossing it with his horse, and Duke went to follow him, sending cautious glances to the two sides of the 'road'.

As soon as he set foot on the other side of the river, what he was seeing not two seconds before changed. The green forest was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a massive city stood tall in front of him. From where he stood, he could see that the city was extended and mostly constructed in some white stone. The streets were paved and seemed clean as a public place could be. Duke came closer to his companion. This city wasn't as welcoming for him as it was for Elucifer. Already a few Krytians were turning toward the two travelers, and if the glances at the Entelexeia were nice ones, the ones he got were much more hostiles. With good reason, he supposed, as the humans always seemed to want to destroy more than they created.

"Stay close to me." Elucifer unhelpfully instructed. Like he wasn't already doing that.

They let the horses at the gates, where two soldier looking Krytians took their reins. Elucifer advanced toward one of the bigger houses, or more likely mansion. They were followed by curious passersby, and Duke looked forward to hiding in the cover of the house. He was unconsciously tightening his grip on his sword's hilt, and if one Krytian was so make a suspicious move, he would unsheathed it in the instant. Elucifer seemed to sense the tenseness in his companion, because he quickened his pace.

They arrived at the mansion not five minutes later, and were stopped at the gates by some servant, who insisted on taking their bags until Elucifer gently smiled and convinced him that they would prefer to know exactly where they were, so it was better if they kept it, okay ? The servant finally opened the gates, and Duke was relieved to see there wasn't many people in here.

Elucifer seemed to know his way, as he ignored the attempts of the servant to lead the way. He motioned for Duke to follow him, and they passed by some heavily decorated hallways before Elucifer pushed one door open, and smiled brightly to the occupant of the room.

"Hello, Khroma ! How are you ?"

Duke shut the door behind him and turned toward this Khroma. It was a Krytian woman, with tanned skin and long violet hair in a high ponytail. She had an ageless face, and a wisdom in her eyes he had only seen in Elucifer until now. He supposed it was part of the 'longer lifespan' thing.

"Elucifer ! You're alive ! Do you know how worried we were ? I send as many soldiers as I could to retrieve you, but no one found you. We thought you had died !"

"Ah, sorry. We had to take detours, and hide, and kill some soldiers, and well... I didn't see any Entelexeia around, so..." Elucifer seemed a little uneasy, smiling a little to try to reassure the woman. "Well, now you know I'm alive."

She sent him a reproachful look, before turning toward the white haired human.

"And who are you, human ? Elucifer, you know it's forbidden."

"Khroma, meet Duke. He saved me from the soldiers, and we have been traveling together since then."

"He knows ! He knows what we are ! You told him. Why didn't you kill him ?"

"He tried." Duke interjected. "But he failed."

Khroma seemed to be ready to kill someone (Elucifer or him, he wasn't sure), so maybe he shouldn't have spoken up. But as the king didn't seem to be about to admit he had tried to kill him...

"Duke, will you shut up ? It is only worsening the situation." He turned to Khroma. "Well, he saw me using magic, and I sent him a fireball, but he parried it with his sword. I don't know how ! But I'm glad he did." Khroma seemed about to kill him again. "Hey, he saved my life ! You could at least try to be thankful." He reprimanded her.

She sighed, then seemed to take his words into consideration, for she turned toward Duke and bowed before him.

"Thank you for what you did. I'm sorry about my outburst. It's just that... Most humans can easily become our enemies when they know about us Entelexeia."

Duke nodded. So the woman was also an Entelexeia ? Well, it didn't change anything for him. He relaxed his grip on his sword a little, but didn't released his weapon. This woman wanted to kill him not five minutes ago. He didn't trust her.

"Khroma, I know you have many questions, nut we both are tired. So if you don't mind, we'll rest a little, and then I tell you all I know. Alright ?"

WMWMW

It was strange, finally being able to sleep in a real bed, and not on the ground of some forest. And being able to take a bath (his hair had turned gray from all the dust). A servant had brought clothes to him, and he was happy to change his stained clothes for some black pants and long red tunic. He had let his hair free. But he still kept his two knives in his high boots and had secure his sword around his waist. And the glances from some servant, who thought it wasn't proper to walk into the mansion armed for a war (his words) had made nothing to change it. The servants were still cautious around him anyways, and he knew they didn't understand why he still alive and free.

He made his way toward the dining hall, where Elucifer had said he would wait for him with Khroma, and saw them in deep discussion when he entered. But Elucifer looked up and smiled at him.

"Hello Duke. Did you sleep well ? It was good, sleeping in a real bed for once, don't you think ?"

Duke nodded at him, suppressing the urge to smile back at the man. The good mood of the Entelexeia was contagious. He sat down next to him.

"I told Khroma what happened and about Alexei. But she has some questions, if you do not mind ?"

"I would like to take a look at your sword." Khroma politely asked. "No sword should be able to counter magic so easily, you understand ?"

Duke hesitated, not really wanting to give up his best weapon, but Elucifer smiled at him again, reassuring him and silently promising him he would get the sword back. He carefully unsheathed it and passed it to Khroma. The sword in itself didn't seem normal. It was shaped strangely, and burned with a strange reddish glow. The hilt and the blade were made of the same reddish metal, and there was a large void in the center of the blade.

"It is a strange sword. I don't know in what it was made, but this weapon is definitely magic. Where did you acquired it ?" She inquired.

"I stole it from the Empire." He honestly answered, gaining a surprised gasp from Elucifer and a suspicious look from Khroma. "It was... part of my revenge." He added.

"Duke, I didn't pressed the subject before because you didn't seemed well, but... It's important for us to know now I think."

But he stayed silent.

"Khroma, can you leave us alone for a while, please ?"

He heard the woman put the sword on a near table and leave the room.

"It is important, Duke. Please tell me. I promise you what you'll tell me will stay in this room."

He didn't want to talk about it, but... Elucifer had told him what he wanted to know (after having tried to kill him, but he still did). And some part of him wanted to tell someone about the past. To honor, in a way, his family in making other people aware of their existence and the injustice they had suffer from.

"Alright." He said after a pause. "I am part of the Pantarei family. A noble family. We have been close with the Emperor for ages, and so my family... was very influential in the Empire. Hence the reason Alexei targeted us as soon as he could. Ten years ago, he tried to talk my father into supporting him to give him a higher position in the army, and more power. He said it was for the good of the Empire. My father refused, saying that in this peace time, he couldn't caution such an action. While other nobles supported Alexei, my father didn't. And so, with his influence, he could really oppose Alexei. One month later, when he was coming back from a political trip with his wife, he was supposedly attacked by bandits and killed."

Duke paused for a moment, and Elucifer didn't press him to continue, waiting for him to be ready.

"At the time, I didn't know about about what had transpired between my father and Alexei, so I believed it. I took the duke's title."

"So Duke isn't your real name ? It's your title ? What's your name then ?"

Duke didn't answer this question. He had abandoned his name for a long time now, and he had no wish to tell Elucifer.

"I was twenty at the time. I was part of the army, and so I had to juggle between my duties as a duke and my duties as a knight. I hadn't even the time to mourn my parents. But my sister did it for me."

"You have a sister ? I bet she's a beautiful young lady."

"She was, yes." He paused, and Elucifer suddenly knew what had made him cry that day. "One day, I found one of my father's journals. His argument with Alexei was written in it. He had written about his worries concerning the man, that he was power-hungry, and that he feared he would do something bad for the Empire one day. He wrote he feared for his life, because he had publicly opposed him. And then I knew what had happened. It was three years after his death.

"I decided not to oppose Alexei publicly. It would only lead to my death. And so I began gathering information about him, and tried to oppose him without anyone knowing it was me. I didn't tell any of it to my sister. I didn't want to worry her. But one day, five years ago, Alexei learned of my actions. I don't know how, but he did. I wasn't here at the time, but on a mission with some of my men.

"I came back one night, and I saw my sister. She was still alive. And her murderer was here, and..." He paused and repressed some other tears. "I killed the man, but he was only an executioner. And there were many others who were waiting for me. They had for order to kill me. I had to flee the mansion. I couldn't even bury my sister.

"That very night, I went to the castle, but something had happened. The Emperor had been assassinated. And I heard Alexei screaming that it was my doing. He had killed the Emperor and was using me as the scapegoat. He thought I was already dead, that I wouldn't be able to deny the accusation. I didn't try. I had to flee. But before that, I had something to do. I went to the sacred place of the castle, and took this sword. Its name is Dein Nomos. This sword is sacred, and only someone who carry it can pretend to the title of Emperor. I wanted to prevent Alexei from gaining this power. I took it and fled the castle. I've been hiding since then."

He finished. Elucifer was silent, digesting all the information.

"So, basically, you're considered a regicide, you stole an imperial treasure to prevent our common enemy from becoming the Emperor, because this bastard killed your family. I can understand why you held a grudge against him."

Duke nodded.

"If this sword is some Empire treasure, it would explain its magical powers."

Elucifer continued, willing to drop the most painful subjects. Duke silently thanked him for that.

"I'll ask Khroma to come back, if you agree ?"

Duke nodded and the other man went to the door to go fetch the female Entelexeia. When she came back, she was looking curiously at both of them, but she didn't say anything. She knew it wasn't her place to ask if her king had wanted her to leave. Elucifer told her about Dein Nomos, leaving the tragedy of the Pantarei family out of everything, and only saying that Duke had been wrongly accused by Alexei for the murder of the Emperor. If Khroma was curious about the missing parts, she didn't show it.

"So, what do we do now ?" She asked after her king had finished. "The Commandant is at the head of the Empire since the Emperor's death, even if without Dein Nomos, he can't officially claim the title of Emperor. And as he ordered the attack on you, we can very well declare war to the Empire."

"Let's try not to come to that." Elucifer interrupted her. "The ambition of one madman, even powerful, shouldn't drive us to war. Too many innocent people could suffer from it, and Alexei could save his life anyway. Let's confront him, and only him, if we can. Beside, if there is a traitor, the less he knows, the better."

"Are you sure an Entelexeia has willingly helped Alexei ?"

"I'm not." Elucifer sighed. "But those soldiers were following us too easily, and without the help of the magic, it couldn't have been possible. Something is not right here. Traitor or not, someone used magic to detect us, and this person can't be human."

"How about a human who made a contract with a demon ?" Duke interjected. "Alexei is hungry enough for power to rely on those kind of source."

He remembered his dream for almost two weeks ago, and how the demon Alexei had acted and talked. What had been frightening was that demon wearing the Commandant's skin hadn't talk like him. What he was sure about was that the man he had talked to that night wasn't human. And he could very well have send him that dream with magic. Maybe he had used the fact that Duke had unconsciously used Dein Nomos' magic to do it. _Or maybe it was just a dream_, another part of his mind told him. But he couldn't bring himself to believe it. A dream faded away after the person awoke. Even if you could remember part of it, you could never remember all. But Duke did, for this one. Beside, it had seemed much too real.

"A pact with a demon would explain many things, yes." Elucifer agreed. "But we must be careful anyway for a possible traitor. I would much prefer having to deal with a demon, but we can't drop the other possibility without any proof." He turned toward Khroma. "Send Phaeroh to investigate. I trust him and his dislike for humans enough to know he isn't a traitor. We can't return to Releweise before solving this mess. Belius had to command in my place until then."

"I will send the messages. But what will we do until Phaeroh return ? We can't just wait and hope."

"I would like you to study Dein Nomos, if Duke agrees." Said man nodded his consent. "While you do it, I'll teach Duke some things." He turned to the white haired man. "If we are to deal with a demon, going without knowing how to deal with magic will prove fatal. And the least I can do is letting you get your revenge."


	5. Training

Chapter 5 : Training

The day after Khroma sent the messages to Releweise, Elucifer came to the human's room, and took him out to the woods around Myorzo. They would begin training with magic, and how to defend oneself from it. Duke felt a little frightened. After all, the last time he had seen the Entelexeia use it, it had been to try to kill him. And the spells he had used before were spectacular enough to scare. Beside, he had given his sword to Khroma for her to study, and so he wouldn't be able to use it to protect himself if something went wrong. He felt horribly exposed without it.

"Do you need time to adjust to the sword ?" Elucifer asked.

He had given him another sword while his was studied. This one was a little heavier and its balance was different. But it was of a good quality, unlike the one he had taken from the dead soldier that night three weeks ago. He took it out, and began dancing with it. He hadn't been able to train with a sword for some time now, and he felt strangely alive doing just it. He ignored the look Elucifer gave him when he began playing with the blade, and only concentrated on his movements for some time. He stopped only when he felt he was satisfied with himself and with the sword.

"It is a good sword."

He said turning to Elucifer, who stood speechless before him. He seemed impressed, and Duke remembered that the man hadn't really seen him fight beside the first time they met (and then he had been too preoccupied with his injuries to really look).

"Wow. You really are good with a sword, Duke." He finally said.

Then he smiled at him.

"Let's begin our lesson, if you're ready."

Duke nodded, and waited.

"Well, before the practice, I would like to talk a little about magic in itself. There are six principle elements. Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Shadow and Light. Those can be associated. For example, if I associated fire and wind, I could create a fire tornado."

"But how could it be possible for me to dodge something like a tornado ? A fireball, I see how, to avoid something I can't see clearly..."

"Sometimes you can't dodge. But I know some tricks to protect yourself." He took a pendant for a pocket. This is a charm. It isn't as strong as real magic, but it can protect you for a while. See the green stone at the center ? It shows that the magic can be activated. It will turn to yellow then to red when it can't be activated anymore. After that, you'll have to wait for some minutes while it recharges itself. So you'll have to use it only when you can't dodge, alright ?"

"You seem to forget something. I am human. I can't use magic."

"You can't use the magic in the air, but you can use this one. Trust me. It was tried in the past. So, try it, go on."

Duke took the pendant cautiously, not really knowing if he could trust the thing to protect him. Magic didn't really appeal to him. At least, with his sword he knew what to do.

"Come on, wear it. It doesn't bite, you know." Elucifer gently joked. Duke finally complied. "I will throw some spell at you. Try to dodge. If you can't, use the charm. I won't charge my spells too much, so you should be fine. Any question ?"

"Yes. How do I 'use the charm' ?"

"Just... Imagine a barrier around you. The charm should do the rest."

With that, he concentrated on a spell. A medium size fireball (nowhere as impressive as the one he had used against the soldiers in the castle, but impressive anyways) flied toward him. Duke dodged it by throwing himself on one side, and stood up immediately. It wasn't as frightening now that he knew he could avoid the attacks, but in a reduced space, he wouldn't be able to dodge like that. When Elucifer prepared another spell, he went toward the man instead of retreating. And when the spell (a light flash) flied toward him, he only dropped to the ground and jumped on his adversary while he was recuperating after the spell. He threw the man to the ground, and put a knife under his throat. But Elucifer, if he seemed impressed, didn't abandoned for all that, and Duke could only jump out of the way of another fireball. Before he could react, the Entelexeia had created a medium earthquake, throwing him off balance. He was to far away from the man now to attack, or ripost, and he could only watch as a blast of wind coupled with fire went toward him. He couldn't dodge this time, but trying to invoke the barrier, he found out that he couldn't. The damn thing wasn't answering to him. Before he had time to react in any way, Elucifer was before him, dissipating his spell.

"Are you alright ? I'm sorry, I thought you would use the charm. Are you hurt ?" He was fussing over him now, really worried.

"I am fine. The charm didn't respond to me. I don't know why." He stood up. "Can you explain it again ? Without throwing spells at me this time." His disapproving look made Elucifer smile like a scolded child who wanted to be forgiven.

"Alright. I'm sorry. For us, magic is as natural as breathing, so of course I didn't explain enough. Try to imagine a barrier, a shield from anything around you. You have to... want to feel isolated from the rest of the world. Do I make any sense ?"

"I think. I'll try it again."

Elucifer recede a little, to give him space. He didn't try to cast a spell again, not wanting to hurt the man. His previous spell wouldn't have been strong enough to kill or maim, but the fact he had almost hurt him was a reminder to be more cautious. Duke tried to concentrate on the charm again, trying to isolate himself from the world, like when he was meditating. When he found his inner space, he tried to imagine the wall Elucifer had talk about. He managed it, and felt the world disappearing from his senses. He opened his eyes to see a red light surrounding him. He succeeded. Then he thought about releasing the magic, and the light receded and disappeared.

"How did you do it ?" Elucifer asked. "The pendant shouldn't react like that." He added before the surprised look he earned from the white haired man. "Normally, the shield shouldn't be visible."

"I don't know. I did as you told me. I can try again if you want ?"

"No. It was a shield, like the one I wanted you to create. I'm just... surprised by the way it looked. Try doing it faster now alright ? I'll try to think about a reason for the strange looking shield."

Duke nodded, and complied. He again went into a meditating stance, trying to accelerate the process, and again imagined the shield. When he opened his eyes, he saw again the red light. He dispelled it with a thought.

"Was it better ?" He asked.

"Yes, much faster. You'll have to train on that, to be able to protect yourself in the second you see the danger. We'll stop now." He added after looking at the sky. The sun was high in the sky. They had spent all morning training. "I'll ask Khroma if she knows of a cause for the way your shield appear, through."

With that, they made their way back to Myorzo.

WMWMW

"Dein Nomos is a very ancient sword." Khroma was explaining. "Its powers I still don't understand, but I think it allows its owner to use magic in one way or another. Hence the fact you have been able to protect yourself from Elucifer's spell. I don't know if it only has a defensive magic, or if you can cast offensive spells with it, through. But I think the way you used magic in training with the charm is due to the sword. You have had it for five years now, so maybe it has an influence you in some way, channeling some magic in you. It is the only explanation I have for the strange shield behavior. I'll continue studying it. Maybe I will be able to know how it has 'contaminated' you with its magic."

"Thank you, Khroma." He answered.

He left the room and went toward the large garden behind the mansion. He liked the place. Even if the nature was controlled here, it was still better than the stone walls of his room. He had spend five years living in the forest, and when he was knight, he was used to travel in the nature. So spending too much time in the city made him a little sick, he found out. He sat near a tree, leaning against it. As Elucifer was gone speaking with some Krytian political chief (he didn't know how they called themselves in Myorzo), he was alone for the day. He had gone to speak with Khroma a hour ago, but as she couldn't explain much, he didn't know if it was a good idea to continue training with the charm. What if there were nasty consequences to it ?

When he had stolen Dein Nomos, he hadn't known it had magical powers. He had thought it was only a symbol, a treasure as important as a crown. He had used it to fight and to train, without thinking. He had been stupid, really. The very metal the sword was made of was unnatural, it was as clear as day. But he had thought it was only some rare metal, one which had disappeared in their time. But now he payed the price of his stupidity. The magic of the sword had infected him. For now, it only showed in the way the charm shield appeared, but the more he would be around magical creatures like Elucifer, the more he was exposed to the consequences, he feared.

On the other hand, maybe this magic could be beneficial for him. If it allowed him to protect himself from magic in any way, it would help him in his fight against Alexei. It was an advantage he couldn't neglect. He just had to be careful with any magical item until Khroma could tell him more about the sword.

WMWMW

Elucifer came back in the evening, and asked Duke to join him for diner. For the past two days he had been here, the swordsman had taken all his meals in his room, and so he was surprised to hear it. But he complied, wondering if there was something Elucifer wanted to talk about to him.

He knocked at his door at eight o'clock, and Elucifer immediately answered, opening the door to let him enter. The taller man led him to the table, where an inviting dinner was waiting for them.

"Is something wrong ?" Duke asked once he was seated. Elucifer's behavior was upsetting, to say the least.

"What ? Oh, no, no, don't worry."

Alright, something definitely was wrong in here. Elucifer seemed to understand he hadn't been convincing, and he smiled a little, trying to appease the younger man.

"I just... wanted to talk ?"

"We could have talk tomorrow during training. Elucifer, is it in relation with your meeting with this Krytian ?"

"Part of it, yes." The Entelexeia finally answered. "He doesn't really like having a human under his roof, so to say. But don't worry, I'm a king, I can tell him off as I wish."

"I do not know if angering the Krytians of Myorzo would help you in any way. If you think I should leave, I will."

"It's too late for it. You know where Myorzo is, you know about us Entelexeia. The Mayor wanted you to be killed, not to leave the city. And I really couldn't let him do it, could I ?" He seemed upset again. "Duke, please be careful, alright ? Do not leave the mansion without me or Khroma with you. The Mayor accepted to let you go for now, but... He could very well act if he thought his city was in real danger."

Duke knew it perfectly well, and hadn't planned on leaving the cover of mansion. From the way the Krytians had greeted him two days ago, he had known he wasn't welcomed from the start. But now it was official : his life was in possible danger. Not that it changed from the last five years.

"Do not worry. I don't feel very good surrounded by strangers anyways." He answered, trying the reassure the man, who seemed more worried than he was. As if it was his life on the line.

After that, they ate in relative silence, only broken by small talks from Elucifer. Duke still wondered why the man had asked him to dinner. He could have just come to his room and tell him of his worries. The dinner wasn't part of it. Was he trying to keep an eye on him, to protect him even here ? After all, there were Krytian servants here, so maybe he thought he was in danger even in the mansion.

"Khroma told me about she found about Dein Nomos. What do you think of it ?" The Entelexeia asked after they had finished eating.

"I am worried about it. I am human, it is... unnatural for me to held any sort of magic. I don't like it."

"Me neither. But It's been five years. If you were to fall sick, you would already be. You'll be fine." Now it was Elucifer who was trying to reassure him. "And if there is anything wrong, don't forget I am an Entelexeia king. My magic will be strong enough to heal you."

"Thank you, but the less I will subjected to magic, the better I will feel. Considering that magic is my source of worry now, I don't think I want to be subjected to any more."

"Ah, yes, I'm sorry." Then he began laughing. "By the Gods ! I know better how to talk to those dignitaries than to you. Really, if someone was listening now, he would think I am a very bad politician."

Duke had to smile a little at this, as it was true. The way Elucifer was talking to him, it seemed he was some teenage who didn't know how to comfort a friend after the loss of his grandmother. It was kind of funny.

"Hey, you smiled ! I made you smile !"

Elucifer seemed awfully proud of himself for this little fit. But as he never saw him smile, Duke supposed it was deserved.

"You have a beautiful smile. You should do it more often."

The man continued, and Duke felt embarrassed now. What was the man doing ? One didn't go just telling someone his smile was beautiful or something like that. Well, a man could do so in addressing a woman. But not another man. He felt awfully uncomfortable now.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I upset you, didn't I ?"

"I'm just... unused to those kind of remark, I suppose. I will try to smile a little more, if you give me reason to do so." He decided without thinking.

And Elucifer seemed really happy now. It was all that mattered.


	6. plans for the future

Chapter 6 : Plans for the Future

They continued training for a week after that. Duke remarked the Entelexeia was always trying to go with him wherever he went, be it in the forest (it was normal here, as they trained together) or simply in the garden. It was a little unnerving, like he thought the albino wasn't capable enough to protect himself. But against magic, even the weaker one used by the Krytians, maybe that was true. He avoided using the charm as much as he could, still fearing its effects, and so didn't know for sure he would be able to protect himself if he was attacked. But all in all, Elucifer's behavior was becoming stranger and stranger. After the dinner, he had insisted on walking him to his room (again with the excuse of protecting him) and had seemed awfully happy when Duke had let him touch his hair as a good night gesture. Duke hadn't mind too much, and even he didn't know why. Normally, he hated it when someone tried to touch him, but here it had been... welcomed.

During the week following the dinner, they had spend their morning training with magic, and Elucifer seemed pleased with the way he managed to counterattack, and not only dodge. But he had remark the way Duke avoided using the charm, sometimes putting himself in danger in trying to dodge instead of protecting himself. He also refused the Entelexeia's healing magic as much as he could. When the king had asked for explaining, Duke had only said he feared the effect of the magic on him, always because of Dein Nomos. And Khroma wasn't really progressing with it.

During the afternoon, when Duke liked to linger in the garden, Elucifer now followed him, and showed him the flowers he didn't know. Some were stranger to the human world, and Duke feared hurting them in touching them. Elucifer had laughed it off, had picked a beautiful red flower (like your eyes, he had said), and had planted it in his hair. Then he had stepped back and had smiled. Duke had classified it in the 'strange behavior' thing. The Entelexeia also insisted in taking his meals with him now. Again, it could be explain with the fact that any murderer wanna-be Krytian would fear poisoning the king with the human. When Duke had told Khroma about her king's strange new behavior, through, she had looked at him like he was missing a case. Like he should be aware of something he definitely wasn't. So he had changed the subject and had asked about Dein Nomos instead.

On the seven day, in the afternoon, Duke saw a bird in the sky. A red giant bird which descended from the sky. Elucifer saw it two, and smiled.

"It's Phaeroh."

"The Entelexeia you sent ? I thought he would look more... human or Krytian." Duke remarked.

"Some of us can take another form." The Entelexeia explained while they were walking toward the mansion. "When one of us is well affiliated with an element, he can sometimes transform. Khroma can, Phaeroh too. As I am not affiliated with a particular element, it is more difficult for me."

They came to the central hall, where Khroma was waiting with a man with shoulder length red hair and, again, tanned skin. Duke was beginning to wonder if this tanned skin wasn't a way to tell an Entelexeia from a human. The man (Phaeroh) was tall and lean, and seemed powerful. His gold eyes fixed themselves of the king and he bowed. Obviously, he hadn't the kind of relation Khroma had with the king, as he didn't seem to be about to ask him by name.

"Your Majesty." He saluted.

"Phaeroh, it is a pleasure to see you. So, did you make a good trip ?"

"If you don't mind, Elucifer, I think it would be better to go to a more private place." Khroma interrupted.

"Of course. Lead the way."

They went to small sitting room. Khroma turned around as soon as they entered, and seemed to cast a spell of some sort. Probably against curious ears.

"So, what did you discovered ?" Elucifer asked once they were seated. "You can speak freely now."

Phaeroh cast a suspicious look at the only human present, and Duke suddenly remembered Elucifer had said this particular Entelexeia hated humans.

"I went to Zaphias as soon as I could, five days ago. The place is well guarded, and so it was difficult to enter. There were some magical wards which shouldn't have been here. I didn't manage to find out where the humans had obtained them. I finally succeeded in entering the city, and later the castle. I sensed some strange things in here. There were magical creatures."

"How many ?" The king asked when Phaeroh paused.

"I sensed nine. They weren't Entelexeia, of that I am sure. They felt more like demons. One of them was powerful."

"Demons. So you were right, Duke. Alexei has sold his soul to a demon. It is all the more worrisome. And nine of them... So there are still eight unknown powerful enemies. Without counting in all the soldiers."

"What else can you tell us ?" Khroma asked.

"Nothing much. One of the demons almost detected me and I had to flee before discovering anything else of real importance. But I managed to stay close enough to overhear some discussions. The knights seem to have found out a traitor who had stolen some treasure a few years ago and fled with it. Some knights seemed disturbed about the news."

"Ah, yes, we know about it. There were talking about Duke." Elucifer explained. "The treasure in question is a sword, Dein Nomos, which has served as a way to claim the title of Emperor over the ages. It also has some magical powers, but we have yet to discover what they are exactly."

"I see. In any case, if you want to attack the castle, sir, you will have to be prepared and well accompanied, or it would be like running to a certain death."

"I know. But there are still too many unanswered questions. Like, why did Alexei attacked us in the first place. What would he gain with it, apart from a new enemy ? What are his ultimate goals ? He can't just want power, can he ? Duke, do you know anything which could help ?"

"I don't know if it can help, but I remember that when we were younger, he was always talking about a dream. He wanted to protect the Empire, to make it a better place, where everyone could live in peace. And then all changed. I lost trace of him for two years, and when I met him again, he was... changed. He claimed to still wanting his dream to come true, but some of his ideas were... strange. He became the power-hungry man I've known since then."

"The demon." Elucifer explained. "If he was that idealistic, he must have made a deal with a demon to become more powerful, to fulfill his dreams. But nothing comes without a price with demons. He must have corrupt his soul, and while he still has the same dream, this very goal is corrupted, infected by the demon's malevolence. And it could also explain the attack. Demons hate Entelexeia. Something about our magic and theirs being completely opposed. If the demon is more in control than Alexei, I can understand why he couldn't let the chance passed to try to kill me. If he had succeed, Releweise would have been weakened for some time. It can take years to find a suitable king." He added for Duke's benefit. "We aren't chosen by blood, but because of our special magic, stronger than the normal one."

Duke nodded his understanding. It made sense.

"What about the eight demons ?" He asked.

"The demon Alexei has invoked is powerful." Khroma answered. "He would be like a king, wanting his court around him. Those demons are here to protect him and to revere him. Demons like the attention."

"So, what do we do now ?"

"We prepare for attack." Elucifer smiled. "Phaeroh, I know you must be tired, but I would like you to go to Releweise. Ask for reinforcements. I want twenty men, the best you can find. If Geridas and Gusios are here, make them come here. We will attack the castle."

"With twenty men ?" Khroma worried.

"I never said it would be a fair fight. Duke, I am sure you know all of the secret passageways from your time in the knights." The albino confirmed it with a nod. "Then we'll attack during the night, we'll sneak in and kill them before they can react."

WMWMW

"What will you do once Alexei die ?" Elucifer asked him during dinner.

"I don't know. I'm still considered the Emperor's murderer, so I cannot go back to the Empire."

"But if we can show to the Empire that it was Alexei ? Then you'll be able to regain your title."

"And go back with my life ? Living in the very place my sister was killed before my eyes ? I don't think I can be again what I was. I spend too much time hiding and living in the woods to play the noble again."

"So where will you go ? You'll come back to your little house, far in the forest, and hide again ?"

"Maybe. If the Krytians and the Entelexeia let me go alive, and if I am not killed during the attack, then I think I will just do that." He looked up to see a reproachful glare from Elucifer. "I am dead to the world, Elucifer. I have been for five years. You can't expect me to go on with my life like nothing happened."

The Entelexeia seemed to hesitate for a moment, then he made up his mind, smiled up.

"You could come to Releweise with me."

Duke looked at him like he was mad.

"Your kind barely tolerate me. And you want me to come to your kingdom. Are you mad ?"

"You saved my life. If I bring this up, they'll have to accept you. And I like your company. It would be a shame if you just disappeared like nothing happened. And you'll see, Releweise is even more impressive than Myorzo. It is a beautiful city."

He seemed to search for anything that could convince the human to come with him.

"Elucifer, I am... unused to magic. With the way I reacted to the smallest ones, like the charm, I do not know what will happened if I stay in magical city for too long."

"But if Khroma were to find out that Dein Nomos hasn't had negative effects on you, would you like to come ?"

"Yes. I would. Myorzo is already a beautiful city in my eyes. If you claim Releweise is even more so, I would like to see it. And magic, when it isn't directed at me, is a beautiful sight indeed."

"Then it is decided. You come with me after all that !"

Elucifer seemed happy, and so the albino man hadn't the heart the tell him there were many chances for him to die in the attack. What could a magic-less human could do against a demon, after all ? But if he could survive it, then he would go. Even if the magic did kill him, he would at least die in a beautiful place, and near he man he trusted the most. When did that happened anyway ? A week ago, he hadn't known if he could forgive the king for having tried to kill him, and now he was considering going with him, and he wanted to make him happy. All of this was strange. But they had talked during the past week, when Elucifer had been here almost anytime. Maybe he had forgiven him during that week, without really realize it consciously.

He smiled to Elucifer, and the man returned it.


	7. Legend

Chapter 7 : Legend

Phaeroh left Myorzo the next day. He would go to Releweise and ask for the reinforcements Elucifer wanted. As Duke didn't know exactly how far the Entelexeia's kingdom was from here, he ignored how long it would take for the little army to come.

"Duke, can I talk to you ?"

The human turned to Khroma. The woman seemed preoccupied. Was it about Dein Nomos ? He nodded and followed her to the library. The sword was lying on a table, surrounded by various books. Most of them had titles related with magic and legendary artifacts. Approaching, Duke could see that Dein Nomos wasn't the only one mentioned. Many artifacts considered sacred by such-and-such religion, and some weapons he knew noble families took care about, were mentioned there.

"What did you found ?" He finally asked.

"Dein Nomos is a very ancient sword. It has been protected by the Empire for more than a thousand year now. I couldn't find the exact year of its creation, but I found a story mentioning it and the creation of the Empire.

"Before the birth of the Empire, the humans lived in separated cities, each of them having their own chiefs and economy. They, as you must already know, were frequently in conflict, and many wars occurred. But one day, the city of Meltokio, the ancient name of Zaphias, found a magical stone. The king immediately asked for his best scientists to study it. If they could use it, they would have a powerful weapon against the other cities, he thought. But the stone was just a container for a magic. From what I gathered about it, it seems that it was the doing of an Entelexeia. He must have tried to create a sort of storage tank for his magic. So the humans couldn't use it like that. They had to transform it to use it.

"The king ordered the most beautiful sword that could be made. He wanted a weapon, and he got it. The scientists found a way to transfer the magic of the stone in this sword. Humans couldn't use magic, but this lifeless sword could work as a charm. All the magic was transferred in it, and the originally gray metal became reddish from it. It was named Dein Nomos. The king himself went to fight with this sword. He didn't want anyone other than him to touch his precious treasure. With this sword, and the magic it contained, Meltokio won many wars. During the next five years, the king conquered four of the seven cities that existed at the time.

"But one day, monsters attacked Meltokio. From what I could read, those 'monsters' were in reality transformed Entelexeia. They knew about the sword, and wanted to take it. Humans were not made to use magic, they said. Humans only used it to destruction, never creation. The king assembled his army, and attacked the monsters. He managed to drive them back, but he had lost many men. But the other cities, the one he hadn't conquered, learned of the attack. Fearing the monsters would attack them next, they went to help Meltokio. It was the first time all the cities allied themselves against one enemy. They managed to win, and the Entelexeia had to leave and hide.

"But the three free cities feared Meltokio and its power, and they wanted to use its actual bad state to conquer it and take Dein Nomos. The king was hurt, and was dying. So his son went to fight with the sword. He used it to protect the city, and to kill many enemies. He targeted the three kings, and killed them, during the war which lasted almost a month. At the end of it, the three last free cities could do nothing but to bow before Meltokio. The prince, made king after the death of his father, became the chief of all the humans' cities. A year later, he proclaimed himself as the Emperor, and renamed the capital Zaphias, to show the new area that was beginning."

"I didn't know about all this story. Officially, Meltokio conquered the cities by arms, not by magic. And the history never mentioned the Entelexeia."

"Magic has become part of the legend now. No human really believe in it. Maybe the actual story was hidden during some time, for some reason, and was forgotten. But from what I gathered on Dein Nomos, the sword works a little like we Entelexeia do to use magic. It use the magic around it to cast spells. I tried to use it, through, and it didn't do anything. Maybe it only works with humans, because you don't already have magic. But you could use it."

With that, she handed him the sword.

"Try to cast a spell. Do as Elucifer told you to proceed."

Duke hesitated, then took the sword. If it could help him, then he would use it, he supposed.

"I read about the first Emperor." Khroma continued, sensing his hesitance. "He first used it when he was twenty three, and he used it frequently for five years during wars and minor conflicts. And he died at eighty-three. If I was to speculate, I would say Dein Nomos protected him more than it killed him."

Duke sighed, but he complied. He concentrated on the sword, and tried to imagine the shield he created with the charm. Immediately after, the red light enveloped him.

"Alright, I think it works. Try to cast an offensive spell now. Like, a blast of wind ?" Khroma suggested.

He let the shield drop around him, and concentrated instead on doing what Khroma asked of him. But nothing appeared. Remembering what Elucifer had said about elements, through, he thought that maybe, the Entelexeia who had created this magic wasn't affiliated with wind. He tried fire instead, although it wasn't very prudent to do it in a library. Again, nothing appeared.

"Maybe you need more practice. Each type of spell is particular. You managed the shield because you trained on it. Try with the sword. Maybe you could ask Elucifer. I'm sure he would be more than happy to help you find the right starting point."

She smiled like an all-knowing mother, and Duke suspiciously looked at her.

"What, don't tell me you still didn't figured it out ?" She seemed surprised now. "Oh, by the Gods, my poor king is really far from his goal, I see."

"What exactly are you talking about ?"

"It is not for me to tell."

Duke, knowing she wouldn't talk, just shrugged and left the room. Elucifer's behavior was already strange since the dinner. If Khroma also did it now, he would really wonder about the Entelexeia's sanity.

WMWMW

The next day, Elucifer went away to see some smith. He had said he wanted new weapons to the attack, and he was gone early in the morning, saying he probably wouldn't come back for all morning. Which left Duke to train alone. He had gone in the forest, in their usual training ground, to try to master Dein Nomos' power.

If he could very well invoke the shield, even without the charm's help, he still couldn't do anything else. Elucifer had told him about the six elements, and so Duke wanted to try out all six of them. Maybe the sword would be more receptive to one element in particular. He had tried wind and fire the day before. So it left water, earth, shadow and light. Elucifer had told him the shield wasn't element-based, so it didn't really help. But if he could find out the principal element Dein Nomos was based upon, maybe he could go from there to develop others after.

He sat in the clearing, putting the sword on his knees. The more he was in contact with it, the better, he felt. He closed his eyes, and tried, like he had almost two weeks ago, to see his inner self, going into a meditating state. But he found out he couldn't. Something wasn't right, and was perturbing him. Someone was near the clearing, and all his instincts told him not to let his guard down. He opened his eyes, and saw Dein Nomos was faintly glowing. Was it the sword which had discovered the intrusion and had warned him ? It was strange. It never reacted to him like that before. Maybe the magic of the Entelexeia had awakened it in some way ?

He didn't move, but tightened his grip on the sword and closed his eyes again. He pretended to still be meditating, and concentrated on the sword, trying to see if it could tell him how many people there were, and who or what they were. And suddenly he knew, like he had always known it. Four Krytians, armed and ready. Obviously, Elucifer was right to worry about a possible attack. He didn't sense any magic cast, so the Krytians must be unaware of the fact he had spotted them. He sensed they were trying to surround him, to cut any retreat from him. It wasn't in his intentions anyway. But killing four Krytians would be difficult. He could protect himself with magic, and Dein Nomos seemed to have some passive powers which could be of help (although what exactly those powers were was still unknown), but he couldn't attack. He would have to be careful while attacking, for he could only use the sword and his knives.

When one of the Krytians stopped at the edge of the clearing, he finally opened his eyes and look right at the man. He seemed young, about twenty, and unused to fighting, but his eyes showed his determination. This man would not back down. Duke stood up in one graceful movement, and pretended to be concentrated on this one enemy, like he didn't know three other Krytians were circling around him, even if he was perfectly aware of all their movements.

"What do you want ?" He asked the young man he could see.

"For you to die, human !" His words were filled with hatred, and with the desire to kill. Duke knew he couldn't dissuade him from doing his dirty work.

With that, his enemy sent a large gust of wind toward him. He dodged it, thanks to his training with Elucifer, but he was too far to ripost. The thought had only crossed his mind, but already Dein Nomos was glowing its unnatural red light, and suddenly Duke found himself right in front of the Krytian, who looked as surprised as he himself felt. But he managed to react in time, before his adversary did, and he cut the man exposed flesh, piercing a lung. The young man collapsed with a cry.

Duke sensed another magic flying toward him. The three remaining men had taken action, their hatred fueled by their comrade's death. But the human now knew how to dodge, and he had only think of the place he wanted to be when he was transported here. He felt a little dizzy, but if it was the price to pay to survive, he would gladly pay it. The Krytians had already seen this trick, and weren't as surprised as his first victim when he teleported himself in front of them. But they weren't soldiers. They had thought they would be able to kill from afar, and so were ill-prepared when it came to close combat. They had brought knives, but they weren't of any use against a master swordsman. Duke killed another enemy, and disappeared, transporting away from a desperate spell from a survivor.

He could feel their hatred melting into their fear. They had come to kill, had thought it would be easy to defeat a defenseless human with a spell or two. Now they found out that the human in question could use magic, and had already killed two of the men. They had thought they were hunters, but had fallen preys to a more powerful predator. And they knew the human wouldn't let them flee with their lives now. He was going to kill them. If they tried to run, he would appear out of nowhere and finish them off. And so, in one ultimate desperate attempt to complete their tragic mission, they used what looked like to be their most powerful spells. One cast a giant fireball, the size of a little house, and the other formed a powerful tornado. And then Duke realized they were trying to kill him while killing themselves. He tried to teleport himself away, but the sword didn't respond. It couldn't go too far from its actual position, the human realized. So it only left one chance of survival. He gathered as much magic as he could, and built for himself the most powerful shield he could think of. He didn't know if it would protect him, but it was too late to go far enough from the upcoming explosion now.

And then all became white.

WMWMW

He must have black out some minutes ago, for when he opened his eyes again, he found out he was lying on the ground. The clearing's ground was entirely burnt down, fire slowly dying when it didn't found any fuel left. There was too much smoke to see clearly. He coughed a little, and slowly stood up, still gripping Dein Nomos. Advancing toward the place the two Krytians had been when they had cast the spell, he could see nothing moving. He almost tripped on something, and when he looked down, he saw the bodies of his wanna-be murderer. They had been too close from their explosion, and hadn't been able to protect themselves as much as he had. They must have died before touching the ground.

He coughed again. The smoke was irritating his eyes and his lungs. He felt horribly weak. Most probably because of the high amount of magic he had used. His head hurt like hell, and the dizziness he had felt during the fight was nothing compared to what he felt now. He tried to orientate himself, to find out where Myorzo was, but he couldn't. People must have seen the explosion, and it was only a matter of time before they came. And as he didn't know if those people would help him or finish him off, he would prefer being as far from them as possible.

He finally went in one direction, hoping it would lead him to a secure place. He felt tired, and only wanted to sleep. He coughed again, his lungs more and more painful to him. At last, he emerged from the burnt down clearing, and cast one last glance at it. It was a sad sight indeed. He had trained here with Elucifer, and the place meant happy moments, where he could relax a little, knowing the Entelexeia would protect him if there was any danger he wasn't prepared to. But now it was only a desolated place. He finally continued his way, trying to make as much distance as possible between him and the clearing.

He didn't make it far. He had trouble breathing, the smoke suffocating him, and he coughed before falling to the ground. He felt tired, and his body only wanted rest, but he refused it. Sleeping now would mean dying. He had to come back to Elucifer, or to Khroma. But he couldn't concentrate enough to try to orientate himself. His sight became blurred, and he realized he had fallen only when he felt the ground under him. He took calm breathes, as much as he could. He had gone far enough from the fire for the air not to be encumbered with smoke, and so after a while, breathing became a little easier. His dizziness didn't fade completely, but it became bearable again. After a while, he seated up on the ground, slowly as not to make his head hurt more. He stayed here for some time, letting his body restore itself a little, and after a time, even his dizziness faded. He finally decided he was rested enough, and stood up. It was time to go back to Myorzo now.

He came back toward the clearing, far enough to be safe from the smoke, but close enough to orientate himself. People (Krytians, from what he could see) were trying to dissipate the smoke, and to temper the fire. They weren't safe, through. They could very well decide his four attackers had every right to try to kill him, and have him arrested or something. So he avoided them, resorting to Dein Nomos' magic to transport himself a little afar when he couldn't hide. He managed to go back undetected to Myorzo like that. So now, he had to go into town, and there he would be seen. He tried to evaluate the distance between himself and Khroma's mansion, to see in how many teleportations he could get there. But it was difficult, with the sinuous streets. So he only walked into town, and try to make himself as invisible as possible. Fortunately, everyone was preoccupied by the explosion, and nobody paid attention to him as he passed. He arrived at the mansion ten minutes later, and was greeted by a very worried Khroma.

"Duke, you're here ! The explosion, it came from the clearing, didn't it ? What happened ? Are you hurt ?"

For someone who had almost wanted to kill him not two weeks ago, she seemed overly worried. It was kind of amusing. Like watching a mother dog fussing over her little ones.

"I am fine. Do not worry. I was just... caught into an explosion."

She lead him into the mansion, and insisted to look for wounds. Duke sighed, but let her do, instinctively knowing she wouldn't let him in peace before she was sure he was alright.

"What happened exactly ?" She finally asked.

"Just some Krytians who weren't happy about my presence here. Elucifer had warned me about it, but I didn't think they would still over me after all the time I've been here."

"Tell me _exactly_ what happened." Now she was commanding. He didn't really liked it.

"Four Krytians attacked me in the clearing while I was training with Dein Nomos' magic. The sword warned me about them. I dodged one or two spells thrown at me, I teleported myself in front of one of them, killed him and did it again to kill another one. Then the two remaining men cast a spell which exploded. I created a shield and protected myself." He summed up.

"You what ? You teleported yourself ?" She seemed to have stopped at that one.

He nodded, not understanding why she seemed so surprised. It was a spell, wasn't it ? Dein Nomos had react strangely to him, true, but he had still managed to master some of its powers. So why was Khroma looking at him like she didn't believed her eyes.

"I shouldn't have done it ?" He asked. After all, maybe some spells were forbidden to use. Not that he could have know beforehand.

"Yes. No." Khroma sighed. "Teleportation shouldn't be possible. It isn't like any other spell, you understand ? Most spells are element-based, but this one isn't, and the non elemental magic is only possible in charms and such things." She continued. "Dein Nomos' powers really aren't what I expected them to be."

She went silent for a moment, seemingly falling in deep reflection, and Duke, not wanting to interrupt her, left the room. He was feeling tired, and such discussions on magical things could wait until after he had rested.


	8. Love

Chapter 8 : because love is beautiful

He was woken up by an angry Elucifer, after what felt like a five minutes nap for him, and was a four hour one in reality. Elucifer seemed positively furious, and Duke didn't try to make the man leave, knowing it would only anger him more.

"What did I tell you ?" The Entelexeia was yelling. "Don't go anywhere without me ! You could have been killed ! Do you know how worried I was when I heard about the explosion ?"

Duke, not wanting to do as if he wasn't here (not wanting to anger him more, again), only sat up in his bed, and pretended to look apologetic. It mustn't have work, as Elucifer didn't calm down, only yelling more.

"Elucifer." He calmly interrupted the man. "I am fine." When the Entelexeia finally quieted down, he continued. "I am sorry to have gone without you, but you can't expect me to only walk behind you, like a scared puppy. I am a soldier, Elucifer. And I have to take risks sometimes. I am not a child, I can take care of myself."

"I know that, but it's different from what you have experienced before. It wasn't a sword fight. In that kind of fight, I know you can protect yourself more than well. You are a sword master. But I am talking about magic. Something you still haven't mastered. One day, you will, I am sure about that. But until then, please, follow my advices when in the magical part of the world. I was really worried about you."

Elucifer's voice was pleading now, and Duke found himself wanting to agree with the man. But he couldn't.

"And what will you do, when we attack the castle. Will you try to protect me against the demons ? Elucifer, I have to learn to protect myself against magic, you agreed on that. And because of the time limit, you won't be able to teach me everything. Do not take it the wrong way, but I learned more in this fight than in three of your lessons. Because it was a real fight, not a training where I know you'll never hurt me. I have to learn to depend only on myself in fight against magic. You know it."

Elucifer sighed, but Duke knew he had won. The Entelexeia couldn't continue acting like a mother-hen with him, they both knew it. Duke wasn't a small child in need of protection, and he wanted to prove it to the man.

"Alright. I understand." Elucifer finally conceded. "I'm sorry about my behavior toward you. It's just that... in this world, a human is considered weak in the magical field. So I instinctively wanted to protect you. I'm sorry if I offended you. It wasn't in my intention."

He smiled apologetically, and extended a hand in a peace gesture. Duke took it, and he knew that from now on, Elucifer would try to control his protective instincts. In exchange, he silently promised he would try not to worry him too much, like in going out in the woods alone knowing there were people who wanted to kill him.

WMWMW

A week passed without anything strange happening. There had been no repercussions of the clearing incident on Duke. For what he had gathered from the two Entelexeia, the Mayor had publicly said he would take actions against anyone who was to try to hurt the 'Entelexeia King's guest'. Duke didn't know if the poor man feared Elucifer's wrath more than he feared to have new death on his mind. Probably both. Anyway, he could finally breath a little now. Not that he would go into town alone (Elucifer would never let him, and their agreement had limits) but he could stop looking at every shadow.

Duke continued training with Dein Nomos, trying to find out what exactly it could do. He couldn't cast element-based spells, that was sure now. But he could use a large range of non elemental ones. Teleportation was one of them. Creating an impenetrable shield was another. He found out he could command the sword to a distance, after he dropped it during one training with Elucifer (they had found a new clearing, and Elucifer had protected it against any intrusion, be it a rabbit). He could make it move like he holding it, and he already could see many uses for it. Like slicing a man who thought he was disarmed from behind. Not very honorable, he knew, but against demons, every advantage he could get was welcomed.

Mostly, through, he preferred to depend on his original swordsman's skills. The magic was only a support for him. When he used too much magic (like in that clearing, the week before), he felt dizzy, and he feared he would lose consciousness if he tried too much. So he tried to use it as a last resort, when he couldn't dodge anymore. I was mostly working, as he managed to win against the Entelexeia king more than once. As Elucifer wasn't going easy on him anymore, agreeing it would be counterproductive in the end, he knew he would be able to fend for himself in a fight.

The reinforcements came eight days after the incident. Phaeroh was flying in the sky again, but this time not alone. There were around ten flying creatures with him. Duke could only suppose the other Entelexeia were riding them, because they hadn't any non-human form or because theirs hadn't wings.

They all gathered in the large dining hall. Duke counted exactly twenty five of them, Elucifer and him included. He recognized Phaeroh in his red haired human form. Another man, Krytian in shape, seemed to answer for the others. It was a muscled man, which seemed strange on the normally frail looking Krytian frame. He looked around forty (although he was much more than that), with piercing gray eyes, short black hair and a scarred face. This man was a seasoned warrior, and most probably the Entelexeia equivalent of a commandant for the other men were all looking toward him for orders.

"This is Geridas, my most loyal general." Elucifer said, noting the interest of Duke in the man. "Geridas, meet Duke. He is the reason I am still alive to this day. Although he'll be the death of me one day." He added the last sentence for himself, but Duke heard him anyways.

"It is a pleasure." The Krytian looking general bowed.

What surprised Duke was that he seemed _sincere_. Flattered, he returned the gesture. Another man behind Geridas came forward and did the same, silently greeting him.

"Meet Gusios." Elucifer presented him.

He was a giant of a man, even taller than Elucifer and definitely broader. Like Geridas, he had short black hair, but his eyes were brown. He seemed younger than his general from about ten years (although, as always with Entelexeia, it was only an impression). He wore a black uniform also worn by all the other newcomers in the room apart from Geridas and Phaeroh.

"Now that everyone is here, let's start." Elucifer began when everyone was silent again. "As you all know, the Empire, or more precisely Alexei, the man at its head, attacked us. He indirectly killed many men, and I almost die. It is now time for retribution. For those who may not know it already, I'll tell you. We aren't going to fight humans, but demons, as Alexei is now possessed by one and had his minions come. We will have to be careful to avoid an open battle, as creating a war between the Empire and us isn't my goal. We will have to kill Alexei and the demons, but avoid any unnecessary kill. That is why I wanted only a small group to come. We will sneak into the castle, and purge it of evil."

"Duke has been in the knights before, and so he knows the castle very well and has drawn us a very detailed map." Khroma continued, and she took out a map of the castle. "This is the castle. Here is the Commandant's chambers." She pointed to a red circled room. "Our principal goal. As for the eight other demons, we do not know where they live exactly, so we will have to be extremely careful. Here is a secret passageway to enter the castle." She pointed another room. "There is a passage out of the castle which lead here. It will lead us to the basements. Our target being on the second floor, we will have to hide until there. We will separate into small groups of five people each. Each group will have one or two target. The primary group, which consist of His Highness, Duke and I, and two more soldiers, will deal with Alexei. The other groups will kill as many demons as they can. But do not strike unless you are sure no one will sound the alarm. We have to be as silent and invisible as possible. For that, one of each group will have to be affiliated with shadow magic, and hide his group in the dark. Any question ?"

"What if we can't kill all the minions?" Geridas asked. "After all, each group will have to deal with two demons, and we don't even know where to find them. What if they aren't even in the castle ?"

"Just do as well as you can." Elucifer answered. "The less demons Alexei can call, the better. It would be perfect if there were no demons left to call, but I can't ask you too much."

"What are we to do if we are spotted before we can attack ?" Another soldier asked.

"Then you'll have to fight. And we'll have all the castle garrison on our back. Which is a situation I would like to avoid. As soon as we enter the castle, we don't go back before killing Alexei. If we did, we would have a war on our hands."

"Won't we have one anyways ?" Phaeroh inquired. "We are preparing to kill one of the Empire's most respected man, after all."

"And a demon. Humans have almost no magic, but they know of way to detect demons. After all, if they can call them, they can also see them, if we can open their eyes. I am sure we can manage to prevent the war. Beside, I am sure the Empire won't want to start a war with some magical creatures who just killed their Commandant and unbalanced the whole country. With good diplomatic skills, we can hope to be able to avoid a war."

WMWMW

After the reunion, Elucifer asked to talk to Duke in private. He led them toward his room.

"What is it you wanted to talk about ?"

Instead of answering, Elucifer took something on a commode. When he turned around, Duke saw it was a bow, and a quiver full of arrows. He gave them to Duke with a smile.

"You lost yours some time ago now. So I thought... Well, it's always useful, right ? I don't know if it suit you, as I honestly know nothing about bows, through."

"Thank you, Elucifer. It's perfect."

And he thanked him again with a smile. It was a sweet gesture from Elucifer. Even if he was mostly a swordsman, he liked the security of the bow, with which he could fight a little without too much risks. It was useful in many situations. And he liked the intention. It was the first time since his sister's death he received a genuine gift. He knew he would treasure it.

"So, I take it you like it ?"

Elucifer seemed pleased, and for good reasons. It wasn't every day he could see Duke smile. And as a king, it wasn't every day he could make a gift without political means, Duke supposed. It was just a gift of friendship, and he liked it.

"Duke, can you promise me something ?"

"It depends what."

"I want you to promise me you'll be careful. I... I don't want to lose you. Alexei's death isn't the only purpose of your life. You said you would come will me to Releweise, and I hope you'll come."

"I will try to live through this, but I can't promise you I will succeed. But I will promise you to be careful if you do the same."

"Then I do promise you that. We'll come back alive from here, if we look after each other."

Duke fall silent for a moment, then made up his mind. He would ask now or never.

"Elucifer, why do you want to protect me so much ? It can't be just because I save your life two months ago. After all, you repaid me almost right after."

"You... don't know ? Ow, my skills aren't what I thought they were..." The Entelexeia complained. "Maybe now is not the time ?" He suggested.

"I think it is. I hate to say it, but you may not have another chance to explain. Please, tell me."

Elucifer sighed, seeming hesitant.

"Maybe I can show you instead ? I'm sure you'll understand better if I do."

Duke only had time to nod, not really understanding where all of this was heading but willing to follow. And then Elucifer's lips were on his. His first reaction was to pull away, but then he couldn't think anymore. It was just... natural. Like he belonged here, like it was normal. He let Elucifer stroke his hair, and pressed himself closer to him.

"I love you."

He heard when his senses came back to him. He smiled and kissed the other, silently answering him. He felt good in the other's arms, and he really didn't want to withdraw. He hadn't considered the possibility of love when he had tried to analyze Elucifer's behavior's and his own. He hadn't tried to know why he had forgiven the man so easily after he had tried to kill him, why he felt protected around him, why he had told him of his past. But now he knew. He hadn't understand the Entelexeia's behavior toward him, the way he was always around him, as if he hadn't more important things to do. But now he did.

He found out, all of sudden, that he loved Elucifer.


	9. The Arrival

Chapter 9 : The Arrival

"We will go by air for most of the way." Khroma was saying. "There are enough flying Entelexeia to transport everyone, and so we'll be able to gain some time. Zaphias is normally a three weeks journey from here, but we'll get here in three or four days, five if the weather is bad. We will stop at a day's walk from the city, through. We'll have to enter it as normal travelers, in small groups corresponding of the attacks groups. Each group will go to a different inn. We won't be able to contact any other group. It would be too dangerous. Those of us who have Krytian's forms will have to hide. Krytians travel too rarely in human cities. From the day of our arrival, everyone will to be cautious in trying to find information. We will the second day after our arrival, and regroup in the sewers to take the secret passageway. I will to each group a map of the city and the name of the inn you'll have to stay in. Any question ?"

When nobody talk, Khroma asked them to finish preparing their bags for the journey. They would leave in less than two hours, and every second counted. When everyone had gone to their own devices, Khroma turned to her king and the only human present. She smiled like a knowing mother and Elucifer glared at her a little, daring her to comment in any way. She seemed to get the message and left them, still smiling too much for comfort. Elucifer sighed, mumbling something about all-knowing Entelexeia.

Duke ignored him. He was already thinking of ways to prevent people from recognizing him. He was considered the Emperor's killer, and so every knight knew his face, even after five years. Maybe he could cut his hair and dye it ? But considering the way Elucifer seemed fascinated by it, he would try to stop him for sure. At least the cutting. He didn't want to do it either, but if it could help him pass as unknown in the city, then he would. But there were things he couldn't change. He walked and moved like as a warrior did. It was a second nature for him, that could give him away as surely as his hair. He would have to be careful, at least around the soldiers.

"What are you thinking about ?" Elucifer asked.

"Ways to pass unremarked in Zaphias. What color do you think I should dye my hair ?"

"What ? Let your hair in peace !" Talk about hair fetish...

"I stand out to much with white hair. No human my age has white hair. And beside, it would only be for a time. The color will go off in time. Or would you prefer if I cut it ?" He almost threatened.

At Elucifer's look or horror, he knew he had won.

"Alright, alright ! I'll find you some hair dyer. And if you tie your hair in a chignon, you should pass. Just don't cut it. I'll also find you other clothes. If you do not talk, you'll be able to pass unseen, I'm sure."

With that, Elucifer left the room in a hurry. Duke just hopped he wouldn't try to dye his hair pink or something. The Entelexeia were strange like that.

WMWMW

Flying was exciting. They were high in the sky, among the clouds. It was cold out there, but it didn't diminish the experience. He was mounted on Khroma's back, the Krytian having transform into a black dragon like creature. She had insisted on taking him, as she obviously didn't trust any other Entelexeia to transport him without making him fall, accidentally or not. Khroma had told him she was affiliated with wind, and her transformed form really showed it. He could see Elucifer riding on Phaeroh's back. The king seemed to enjoy himself, probably used to it. Duke regretted that the man hadn't a transformed shape. It would have been a beautiful form, he was sure of it.

From time to time, Duke dared looking down to the earth, far away. He tried not to think about any possible fall. He supposed it would be like falling from a horse, even if with a horse, you had chances of survival. Not here. But the view was so breathtaking is wasn't hard to forget about it. They had flied over part of the sea at one time. It had been morning, the sun had not completely rose yet, and the water had had a beautiful color, like fire. He could see the forests, and the birds flying away from them, frightened by the gigantic creatures. They were avoiding flying over cities, through. Even if they were high in the sky, it could be dangerous.

At night, they landed in forests or human deserted places. It was strange, journeying with so many people. Duke had lived alone for five years, and if traveling with Elucifer only had been easy enough, doing the same with more than twenty people was another thing. They were curious about him, never having talk to a human before for most of them. Duke talked a little to them, but he felt quickly dizzy, trying to follow their questions and discussions, and went to sit with Elucifer, where no soldier dared to disturb him. Khroma then took it upon herself to answer the questions about humans Duke hadn't. All in all, the journey was made in a good ambiance. It was easy to forget they were leaving for a little war against demons.

They arrived near Zaphias after a four days journey. The weather had been good on them, the sky never letting fall rain or worse, and so they were on time. They landed on the nearest forest possible, and all transformed in their human (or Krytian) form. Each group had a believable history if asked, some coming from Halure, others from Nordopolica, some in search of mercenary work, other to see family. The Krytians had covered their ears with hats or mantles, and every one of them had hidden their most strange features or any too distinctive weapon on them. Duke had dyed his hair brown and had tied it into a loose chignon, much to Elucifer's grief. He had also hidden Dein Nomos with a cloth, which he had covered with his coat. It was all he could do. But if he were to met with some of his former soldiers, he would be discovered right away. He had asked if there wasn't any Entelexeia's magic to prevent it, but Elucifer had told him it would be too dangerous to use magic in town before knowing where the demons were. It was why they wouldn't take action right away, to try to find out more about Alexei's minions.

The first group departed an hour after their landing, and another went away two an hour after him. His and Elucifer's group was to go in another hour. Apart from Khroma, there were two other soldiers, a woman and a man. The woman was human in shape, with shoulder length brown hair. If she was definitely a woman, she didn't seem frail in the slightest. She knew perfectly well how to fight with her two swords. She had no other form, but she didn't seem to mind it too much. Her name was Elenith. The man seemed like a Krytian. He was shorter, and more a magician than a warrior. His long light blue hair were now covered with his coat's hood, as it would give him away immediately as a Krytian. Duke hadn't seen his transformed form, as it wasn't a winged one. Duke had talked to the man, Salen, before, and had found out he was a very good strategist. If anything was to happen, he would be able to help out with a new plan during the attack.

Finally, they could go. They would take the western entrance (unlike the other two groups, which had taken two others. You never were too careful). As they neared the gates, Duke discretely looked at the guards, and was relieved to recognize no one. None of them had been under his command when in the knights. It was reassuring. He nonetheless made great care to avoid looking anyone in the eyes (his red eyes couldn't be covered, and it was also a dead giveaway), and soon enough, the guards let them passed easily, thanks to Elenith a little too much uncovered chest. It was really too easy to distract soldiers from their duty. She smiled triumphantly when Elucifer complimented her on her good job some time later.

The city was as he remembered it. The buildings, the streets, were familiar to him. It was the afternoon, and the winter's sun was already setting in the sky. The building's stones were almost orange in this light. As they walked into town, he could see children playing in a park, unaware of what was occurring. Their ignorance was enviable. Most shops were still opened, although some were preparing to close, gently leading some late clients outside. He heard Elenith give an impressed 'wow' when they crossed the big bridge, built over another part of the town. She went to the rail, and looked down, watching the people live their lives, some going back to their house, others going to some bars to spend the night with friends. They went to the inn named ' The Golden Horse '. A lame name, in Duke's opinion, like almost all the inns' names. As it was winter, not many people were traveling at the time, and they booked three rooms without two much trouble. The two ladies would share one, Elucifer and Duke another (Khroma had smiled again, and her king had, again, glared at her), and Salen would have the third. As he was to study the maps and prepare everything, it was better for him to have one room, although he had argued that his king shouldn't have to share a room because of him. Khroma had cut him, saying Elucifer just loved sharing his room, emphasizing on the 'love'. She seemed really amused by the situation, although she would confess later she was disappointed when she had seen no blush on Duke's face. Would the woman never stop teasing them ?

WMWMW

"Elenith and I will gather information now." Elucifer announced the day after. "Please do not leave the inn, and be good and all."

"Elucifer... We are of the same age. Do not try to talk to me like you would to a child." Khroma complained. "The only one young enough here to be treated as such is Duke."

"I already tried. It didn't work."

Elucifer smiled and left, followed by woman soldier.

"Well, it seems we are on our own now." Khroma remarked.

"I still have work to do." Salen interrupted. "If you'll excuse me, I'll go back to my room and do it now."

Khroma nodded and the man left them alone. They were currently in her room, as the soldiers had refused to 'trespass' in their king's territory (the room) and Salen's room was too messy, in his own words, to talk about what they would do now. As Elucifer and Elenith were the only human looking Entelexeia, it had been decided (with some reluctance) that they were to gather information while the other three waited for them. Duke didn't know what he would do during that time, as the room was to small to train efficiently with his sword and he was forbidden from training with magic, in case some demon felt it.

"So, now that Elucifer isn't here, tell me. What did the both of you do, eh ?"

Or maybe he would be occupied with avoiding Khroma. Since when had she transformed from the collected woman to this gossip girl ? Duke sighed. She was between him and the door, and he was forbidden to leave by the window. All his escape routes were blocked. But maybe he could stay silent (that he knew how to do, if he considered Khroma's questions as torture) and wait for Elucifer to come back. It would be long, through.

"Come on, you can tell me ! Elucifer and I are childhood friends. We tell everything to each other, and he trusts me with his life."

"Then why don't you ask him ?"

At that she pouted.

"He won't tell me. But you can. I promise I won't tell anyone. Please ?"

"We are just together."

"'Just' ? Oh, come on. You are two lovebirds. It's really cute to watch."

"If you do know everything, why do you bother asking ?"

"Because I want to know if I can leave Elucifer's happiness in your hands. Do you love him ?"

"I do, yes." Alright, now he felt uncomfortable. Was the woman going to threaten him now, like the lady's big brother did to the fiance in his sister's love novels ?

"Good. I am glad, because he loves you. I'm sure you'll make a perfect couple."

"Until I die. I am not eternal like you are, Khroma. I'll die in less than thirty years, and Elucifer won't even have changed."

It was something that bothered him. Elucifer would live for hundred (maybe thousand) of years, but not him. What would happen after that ? Would the Entelexeia just watch him age and die ? With his protective nature, it would be difficult for both of them, Duke knew. He really didn't know if answer this kiss had been a good idea anymore. Maybe he should have reject him. Like that, Elucifer would just had had a small heartbreak. He suddenly sent a hand on his hair, and he quickly withdrew from her touch. He didn't like it when other people touch him, apart from Elucifer.

"Do not worry about that, alright ? It is not the first time an Entelexeia has fallen in love with a human. In the past, the same... problem posed itself, and the Entelexeia concerned was a great sorcerer. He created something, a spell. I don't know how it works exactly, but it linked the two lovers, and his fiancee shared his life for more than three hundred years. They died together, old and happy. See ? Your history will have a good end, if you work for it, that's it."

"Is it true ? Can we really live together ? It is hard to imagine."

"But it is true. And I'm glad for both of you. You both deserve to be happy."

Duke smiled a little, silently thanking her for her support. She had almost became a friend in the past month. Unlike Elucifer who he had immediately accepted, it had been longer with Khroma, but he knew now that she was doing her best for her king and for him. She could become a confident for him, and she aimed to be one. It was good to know that he would have more than the king's support when he would be living in Releweise. He knew it would be difficult at first to integrate himself, and so the more people to help him, the better.

"How old is Elucifer ?" He asked after a time. He had asked the man once, but he had gotten no answer.

"Two hundred and forty five. Two years older than me."

"Is it more old or young ?"

"We are considered adults when we reach seventy. So Two hundred and half is... well, what thirty is for you, I suppose. Adults neither too young or too old. But more young than old, if we were to choose. We can live for five to six hundred of years, if you want to know. Another question ?" She smiled as the human was beginning to open up a little to her.

"Could you tell me about the Entelexeia ? I am curious about your culture, and about your traditions. And about Releweise. Tell me what it is like."

She complied with a smile, and they spend the day talking.


	10. Final Battle

Chapter 10 : Final Battle

It was time to move. The night had fallen one hour ago, and the five of them were prepared. They had covered themselves with coats, and left the inn with their weapons hidden under them. They hadn't left anything of value in their rooms, for they would most probably never came back. Duke led them the group in the city's streets, taking small passages instead of bigger roads. He knew where most of the soldiers were posted and patrolling (it hadn't changed much from five years ago, for the most part) and took care to avoid them. They arrived at the sewers' entrance first, and went in to wait for the four other groups.

They hadn't to wait for long. Ten minutes later, Phaeroh's team descended the sewers' ladder, closely followed by Geridas and his group. The two other one came only five minutes later, one led by Gusios, the other by a red haired woman who looked too much like a female version of Phaeroh for comfort.

"Alright." Elucifer said, his voice as low as possible. "Before going, everyone will tell what they have learned about Alexei's minions. Geridas, begin."

"We didn't find many things, but I know that a violet haired noble, named Cumore, is suspiciously closed to the Commandant. He is a captain in the knights, and I know where to find him. I suspect his sister to be at least allied to him, and maybe one of the demons as well."

"Phaeroh ?"

"I found out about Cumore too, and about two other suspicious people. Two nobles always following Alexei in all his decisions. They live in the castle, which is rather suspicious, as they should at least go back to their mansions from time to time. I located the nobles' quarters on the map. My group can go there."

"Gusios, what did you find ?"

"Nothing much. Only one man, Ragou, who is in charge of some city out there. He is here now, through, so we'll be able to strike at him."

"And you, Larisa ?" Elucifer finally addressed the final team's leader.

"People have been talking about a mad man living in the castle. I think his name is Zagi. If the demon which entered his mind was too strong, it would explain his madness. He will be a tough opponent, but I think my group can manage."

"Alright. I learned about one man also, Barbos. As he is neither noble nor knight, people have been wondering what he was doing in the castle. I think he is one of them. You'll probably find him near Zagi, as the same people were saying he was commanding some madman. Each of you, go to your designated target now. Good luck to you all."

"And good luck to you, Highness. After all, we're leaving you the demon's master." Geridas replied.

With that they made their way to the castle entrance, again waiting some time before a group had departed to go as well. Elucifer's group was last, as they would have to wait for the majority of the minions to die before taking action. They stayed in the sewers for a time, then Elucifer motioned for them to move. They had a long way to go.

Elucifer cast a spell around them, which surrounded them in shadow like magic. With that, as long as they stayed in the shadows, far enough from the light, they would be invisible to any human. After that, Duke took the lead. Salen had studied the maps and most probably learned them by heart, but only Duke knew the place first hand. As a child, he had come often with his parents more some diplomatic trip, and he had played hide-and-seek with enough maids (with the help of other noble's children) to know where to hide now. But now, it wasn't just a matter of being scold for leaving his assigned room without telling. If they were caught now, it was death which awaited them.

They followed stairs toward the ground floor. There weren't any soldiers guarding the door to it (thanks to one of the groups, as it was normally guarded by two knights). They continued down an unlighted corridor, where one knight was patrolling. They passed him, staying in the shadows, when the man was looking in boredom through a window. Night watch was always calm (normally). There wasn't any noble to accompany to one point to another, and no one who entered the castle (who would be foolish enough ?) and so the soldiers, instead of being more alert like they should be, tended to let their guard down. It was all the better for them.

They soon arrived to another fly of stairs leading to the first floor. But before he could begin to climb, Elucifer stopped him. At his interrogating look, he murmured a "demon near" and motioned for the group to stay where they were. Then he slowly gathered some magic (too quickly, it would attract attention from the demon's attention, as Duke had learned from Khroma), waiting for the demon to come down. It wasn't long. A man (?) wearing pink armor (that hurt the eyes) and harboring long violet hair came down, followed by two guards. From Geridas' description, he had to be Cumore. Duke didn't know him, and was glad for it. How far had the knights fallen ?

Cumore stopped at the end of the stairs, and yelled in frustration to his subordinates.

"Why isn't there light here ? You idiots ! Do you want me to fall off the stairs ?"

"But sir, it's just that... the castle is low on candles right now, so..."

"I don't care about your stupid excuses !"

By that time, Elenith had positioned herself behind one soldier, and Duke behind the other. Elucifer aimed at the pink demon, and motioned for them to strike. The two soldiers' corpses hadn't fallen to the ground that the surprised captain was paralyzed on it. He seemed to struggle against the magical ropes, and tried to scream, but he couldn't move. As Elucifer bent down to finish him, he could see the fear in his eyes. He didn't waste time, and cut the man's throat. There would be no mercy on the demons. When he had finished, he took the body, and Duke and Elenith did the same with theirs, as Khroma opened a door near leading to some unoccupied room. They hid the bodies in the nearest wardrobe (large enough to contain the three corpses. It was a noble's room, after all) and went back to the stairs. At least, there was one demon dead.

In the next hour when they slowly and cautiously advanced in the castle, they didn't encounter other demons in human bodies. But Salen, with his highly receptive senses, made them know that three of them had died. They couldn't know which ones, but at least they would know when they would be able to attack. And nobody had been discovered yet (and never, they could hope). Half of the minions were dead, but it wasn't enough to attack.

When they neared Alexei's room, they stopped and looked at Salen, but the Entelexeia didn't bring out another death. They would have to wait. They went back, and always walking in the shadows, they entered a room Duke knew was used as a storage room. It was a safe place. Elucifer cast a little spell to soundproof it.

"I'm not sure Alexei is here." He said. "The room has the dark aura of a demon, but it isn't strong enough. Something tell me he's not here. Duke, do you know where he could be at such an hour ?"

It was past two in the morning, so he couldn't be in his office. He should have been in his room. If he wasn't...

"He must have sense his minions' deaths."

"Impossible. Demons can't feel auras. So Alexei can't know. If he did, we would have the castle garrison trying to kill us. Salen, can you feel anything out of place ?"

"No. I feel the four remaining auras of the minions, and an aura coming from the Commandant's room. But you are right, Highness, it isn't strong enough."

"Four auras ? Is one of them stronger than the others ?" Khroma asked.

"Yes." The Entelexeia answered after a while. "In a room four corridors from here." He tried to situate it with his mental map.

"Dein Nomos chambers." Duke pointed out. "Could it be that he felt the sword ?"

"If it's the case, we're in deep shit." Elenith pointed out.

"Let's go. We can't back down now. If he's waiting for us, then so be it."

WMWMW

As they neared their target's position, Salen gestured for them that another demon was dead. So there was only one left then ? But where was the last one, and where was the missing one ?

There were two guards in front of the door, and they couldn't avoid them. So Elenith and Duke took care of them quietly and quickly. They couldn't hide the bodies now, through. Khroma took the door's handle, and, looking at them to see if they were ready, pushed it open. The five of them cautiously entered the room, which was completely dark. Khroma closed the door, and cast a spell to lock it. There was no movement in the room. Duke prepared his sword, and gestured for Elenith to do the same. And all of a sudden, the large room was lightened. Semi-blinded by the sudden light, they had to take a few seconds for their eyes to adjust. When they did, they saw who they had come to kill in front of them. Alexei, or more likely the demon wearing his body, smiled at them, and clapped his hands as if for applaud. Looking at him, Duke could see no sign of the demon in him. No yellow eyes and sharp teeth like he had seen in his dream.

"Well, well, if it isn't my dear king ? And with the Emperor's murderer, nonetheless. Hello, Lienzo, how are you ?"

He turned toward Duke with a smile.

"You have no right to call me by that name anymore, Alexei. Or whatever your demonic name."

"Do not be so quick to just. I am what always was. The demon, as you call him, just showed me better ways to accomplish my goals. And this accomplishment pass by your deaths, and the use of Dein Nomos. But thanks to you, my dear duke, I'll be able to do both in one blow. But let us skip further discussion. You will die here and now !"

With that, he sent a blast of dark energy toward them, forcing them to scatter to avoid the blow. Fortunately, the room was large enough to maneuver, or they would have been crushed. Elenith ran toward her enemy, counting on the others to cover for her. Elucifer did the same from where he was, taking out his large sword. Alexei didn't do anything against their attack. But as they neared him, Elenith was blocked by some shield which sent her flying, and the demon blocked the king's charge with his sword.

Duke took out his bow, and aimed at his enemy who, surprised by the attack, had to step back to avoid a blow from Elucifer. By that time, Salen and Khroma had had time to prepare their spells. Khroma cast a blast of wind, reinforced with light coming from Salen. The powerful attack hit Alexei with full force, and sent him flying through the air. But as he stood up, he harbored no sign of damage, apart from one or two tears in his coat.

"How can this be ?" Khroma was wide-eyed. Light should do many damages on a demon or on a possessed man.

"Oh, I just took the liberty to copy some things from Dein Nomos."

With that, he raised his sword, and Duke sense his own react to it, analyzing the new threat. This sword harbored magic in it, like Dein Nomos.

"Elucifer, the attack, that day... It wasn't to kill you, but to capture you." He saw Alexei smile at him. "He wanted your magic for this sword."

"Yes, exactly. You've always been more intelligent than people thought. It's a shame I have to kill you. You could have been of great use. You are right, I used the powers of the Entelexeia I captured to create this sword. I would have prefer the king, as Dein Nomos contains an Entelexeia king's magic, but I did with what I had. I have the powers of a demon _and _of an Entelexeia. Isn't it wonderful ?"

"You are mad !" Elucifer interjected. "If magic has been hidden from humanity, it is because you can't use it properly. You think you control it ? But it is the demon ! He is making you do whatever he wishes !"

Alexei only ignored him, and cast a spell at him. Elucifer only had time to create a shield, and then he was enveloped in some black fireball. Duke, using the distraction of his target, teleported himself behind him, and tried to strike at the man's shoulder. But he sensed it, and turned, Dein Nomos only cutting his arm. The former noble only had time to dodge as another spell flied at him. But Elenith, healed by some other spell, was already charging at the demon, who, this time, hadn't time to dodge quickly enough, and a sword pierced his leg. But as the woman withdrew, preparing another attack, she saw that the wound was already healing.

"Shit !" She swore.

How could they kill the man when he was healing himself as soon as he got hurt ? But looking at the small wound Duke had managed to do, she saw it was still bleeding. The magical sword's damages couldn't be healed by the demon's magic. That was good to know. She pointed it to, Duke, who nodded.

"Create an opening for me." He asked while Alexei was again occupied by Khroma and Salen's spells.

She ran toward the man again, but as he prepared to protect himself with a shield, she managed to unbalance him a little, destroying his concentration. She attacked him with all she had, and Duke teleported himself behind the Commandant, who had the time to react as Dein Nomos pierced his left shoulder. In a burst a magic, he sent both swordsmen away from him, but as he tried to heal himself again, he found out he couldn't.

"Well, it seems like you aren't protected from every magic." Elucifer smiled.

The non elemental magic of Dein Nomos wasn't something the demon could recognize and heal, it seemed. Alexei cursed a little, but didn't seem to admit defeat yet. He smiled, and, closing his eyes, seemed to concentrate on something. But when he opened them again, his eyes had become of a bright yellow color.

"You haven't won yet. I will defeat you with the help of Beowulf !"

With that, he cast a powerful looking spell, the darkest aura coming from it. Immediately, Elucifer and Salen cast another spell, which would be a shield. But even with it, as Alexei unleashed the spell, the five warriors felt themselves being thrown toward the nearest wall. What was this magic ? Standing with difficulty, Duke saw that Salen and Khroma didn't move anymore. Were they only unconscious, or did they die ?

"What is it that you want ? Do you really still believe in your dream, so long ago ? Do you believe you can make the Empire a peaceful place with those powers ?" Duke asked, wanting to make the man talk, to let the others the time they needed to recover.

"All I did those past years was in that goal." Alexei answered. "I have one of the most powerful demon's power. Once I can take Dein Nomos, I'll have the power of an Entelexeia king. And the Empire, who has sought a new Emperor for so much time, will finally have one. In this position, I will finally be able to fulfill this dream."

"How so ? How can power make peace ?"

"At first, there will be war. The Krytians, the Entelexeia... all those magical creatures, who feel so superior to us because we have no magic. I will crush them with this power, and with the army I'll create with it. Maybe I should begin with the Entelexeia. After their king will have died today, it should be easy enough. And the, when humanity will finally reach its rightful place as the most powerful race, when it will have nothing to fear, then people will be able to live in peace."

Elucifer had healed Elenith and Khroma by the time the Commandant had finished. He didn't do anything for Salen, and Duke realized the man had died from the earlier spell. He had to do something. Dein Nomos powers could hurt the demon much more than others, but he only knew a handful of its powers. But maybe he could use the few he knew. He launched himself at the madman. But as soon as the man went to protect himself, he teleported himself behind him and slashed at his back. Elucifer used the surprise effect to cast a fire spell at Alexei, preventing him from reacting quick enough to block the two attacks.

But Alexei ignored the spell, only casting a minor shield, knowing Dein Nomos' powers were much more destructive for him. He attacked Duke, who, surprised the man had reacted so quickly, dodged with difficulty, getting a slash on his arm in the process. Using it, the demon attacked again, and Duke hadn't the time to protect himself this time. Dein Nomos flew out of his hand, and he was thrown to the ground. Before he could stand, Alexei put his sword under his throat.

"Do not move, Your Highness." He said to Elucifer, who was about to slash at him.

The Entelexeia, through obviously angered, complied, feeling he had no choice. How this one man had overpowered them so easily ? Elenith was sending her king interrogative looks, waiting for his orders. Khroma didn't move, her magic too low to do anything to help now.

Duke saw Dein Nomos, at the other side of the room, and made up his mind. It would be a dangerous move, with Alexei's sword under his throat, but he could do nothing else. If he didn't move, Elucifer wouldn't either, and he would be killed. Alexei was looking down at him now, smiling and showing his teeth.

"Well, well, Lienzo. It seems I'll finally kill the last of the Pantarei. I didn't think it would be possible one day, to tell the truth."

He went to cut his throat, and Elucifer cast a spell at him, in a desperate attempt to kill the demon before he could kill his lover. But then Alexei stopped, a look of surprise in his eyes. He had time to look at his chest, pierced by Dein Nomos, and then he was engulfed in a powerful fireball. He hadn't time to protect himself, and wouldn't have been able to do so anyway, Dein Nomos having pierced his heart. He cried out in vain, unable to do anything, and he fell to the ground.

Nobody moved for a time, looking at Alexei's body, like it was about to move again. But it didn't, and after a time, Elenith released the breath she had hold, and lowered her weapons.

"Is it... finished ?" She asked.

"Yes, it is. We are safe." Khroma smiled.

Elucifer went toward his lover, helping him out to his feet.

"Well, I think it is done now. Maybe you'll be able to wash off this horrible color from your hair." He joked, because it seemed to be the only thing he could do instead of kissing him right there and now.

Duke looked at the body of his enemy, burnt and miserable. He wondered how a man with so many dreams for his country could have become like that, power-hungry and evil. Was it only the demon's doing, or did Alexei already have some madness in him ? He sighed, and bent to take Dein Nomos. The sword was intact, even after its exposure to fire magic. He cleaned the blood on it, and sheltered the blade.

"We should go now." He reminded the others.

"Alright. Let's go home."


	11. Toward a new life

Chapter 11 : toward a new life

Of course, they couldn't do it right away. If the other kills had been silent, Alexei's really hadn't been. As soon as Khroma unlocked the magically blocked door, they found themselves surrounded by soldiers. Elucifer hid his lover behind him, and tried to look as important as possible. Being a king, it wasn't difficult.

"I am Elucifer, the king of Releweise kingdom. And if you dare lend a hand on me or my companions, I will set you flames." The soldiers hesitantly looked at the magically ravaged room behind them, and stepped back a little. "Now, if you would be so kind as to show us to your Emperor..."

"We have no Emperor." One man said, a dark haired man in an orange uniform Duke knew as Schwann. "But Lord Ioder is the most probable candidate for the position. If you give us your weapons, I will lead you to him, and you'll have to be very good to explain yourself after what you've done, _Highness_."

"Of course. Please look at your Commandant's chest. I am sure what you will see here will make a wonderful explanation."

The captain got around the group and to his former Commandant. The body was badly burnt, but something unnatural was still glowing faintly on his chest.

"A Demon Seal !" He exclaimed. "What does that mean ?"

"It means that this man has tried to kill me and some of my subjects, and that I sought retribution." Elucifer calmly explained. "As my men did on the other demons who have infiltrate the castle."

The knight seemed to consider it. He knew his commandant had been acting strange for some time now, and so maybe... Maybe this so called king was saying the truth. He sighed.

"Very well then. I will lead you to Lord Ioder."

The captain seemed shocked, as were most of the soldiers around them. Everyone knew of the Demon Seals, and through some didn't believe in it, seeing the state of the room didn't leave them with any choice here. Those kind of damages couldn't have been done without the use of some magical power.

But before they could go, Schwann did what the king had been trying to avoid until now. He remarked Duke, who was still trying to hide in the shadows.

"Duke Lienzo Pantarei ! What is the Emperor's slayer doing here ?"

Elucifer automatically placed himself between his lover and the captain.

"It is part of the explications I will give to your lord. But right now, he is under my protection. You won't lay a hand on him without me burning you down. Is it clear ?" He more or less coldly added.

The soldiers were even more uneasy now. This man had killed their beloved Commandant, and was now protecting the Emperor's murderer. They didn't like it. The captain seemed to agree, but he nonetheless led the group to his lord. If the king wanted to explain, then he could. They would consider what to do with them after that.

"Do you think the other have been able to leave ?" Elenith asked to Khroma on the way, keeping her voice low.

"As the knight didn't speak about them, I assume they did. But we must worry about us first for now."

The younger woman nodded, and went silent.

After some minute's walk, they finally arrived at their destination, and they entered a room to see a young man waiting for them. He was blond, and nice looking. Not very tall, he nonetheless inspired respect to those who looked at him. Schwann went to talk to him, then the young lord turned to them.

"I am Ioder, the nephew of the precedent Emperor. You said you have explications for your actions and your attack on my castle. Then please explain."

"Of course. I should be a little long, through."

Then Elucifer began explaining what had happened to his men two months ago, and how he had managed to flee. How Duke had saved him, and then had helped him survive until they could be safe. How they had killed the men sent after them. He talked about Myorzo, letting some details about its location out, and about their discoveries about Alexei. He told Ioder about Duke's past, about how he had been set up to be believed the Emperor's murderer when it was Alexei. Then he finished with their plan to kill the Commandant, and his demon, and its accomplishment.

"I do think we helped you as much as we helped ourselves in doing it." He finished. "I do not know Alexei was before, but this demon has changed him for sure. He was mad, Lord Ioder. He would have brought the Empire to its ruin."

Ioder was silent, digesting the information. The Commandant was a symbol, a model to follow for many men, and he didn't make exception. To think this beloved man was in reality mad and infected by a demon... That he had plotted to become Emperor (and so to kill him, as he was to be made Emperor normally)...

"I would like to say you are lying, but... the truth is, Alexei had really changed in the past years. From the gentle man he had been in my childhood, he has become more heartless, tough. And some of the events you mentioned match with other things I should have know. The day of my uncle's death, Alexei went to see him. But the guards at the gates didn't mention having seen sir Pantarei until half an hour after his death. I had always thought it was strange, and now I know why." He turned to Duke. "Lord Pantarei, please accept my condolences for your sister's death, and my most sincere apologizes for the false accusations you have suffer of. Your name will be reinstated and your properties will really be yours again."

"Thank you, my Lord." Duke answered, and bowed. "But I am not coming back to the Empire. Even if I am not guilty, some people will always think otherwise. I think it would be safer for me to leave. His Highness Elucifer already asked me to come to Releweise with him, and I accepted." He paused. "But I can give you something back. Something which rightfully belong to you, that I took to prevent Alexei from performing his evil schemes." He took out Dein Nomos, and handed it to the young Lord, hilt first. "Please accept Dein Nomos, my Lord."

Ioder came forward, and bowing, he reverently took the sacred sword.

WMWMW

After those events, Ioder released them, after a promise from the Entelexeia king to come back later. He wanted to begin some connection between the Entelexeia and the humans, and as he would be made Emperor soon now that Dein Nomos was returned to him, he would be able to. Elucifer had warned him about the two demons they hadn't been able to kill, and Ioder had promised to search for them, and to kill them.

When the small group came to the meeting point, it was near dawn, but it felt like days had passed. So many things had been achieved in such a small amount of time. The other teams were waiting for them, and Elucifer could see they also had suffer causalities. Of the twenty five soldiers, only nineteen remained. Geridas harbored a new cut on his face, and Phaeroh had his left arm covered in bandages. He explained that they had been able to kill the two nobles and Barbos, the later being responsible for two deaths and his actual state. Larisa (who had lost three men and was as hurt as the remaining soldier) explained they had killed Zagi with much difficulty. The man was mad, and a vicious killer. Ragou had fled the castle during the night, most probably aware (somehow) of what was happening to the other demons. But Elucifer wasn't worried. Ioder's knights would find him.

He had also asked for the bodies of his men to be given to him, and as soon as they could, they could properly bury them. The tradition would normally be to bury the bodies while they were surrounded by their families, but it was too far away, and so they would do it here, near Zaphias. As soon as they would finish paying the deaths' respects, they would go back to Releweise.

WMWMW

They left Zaphias two days after the burials. All the warriors had payed their respects to the dead, and Elucifer had made a little speech for them, the greatest honor for an Entelexeia warrior.

The day after, the same king had been trying to catch his lover, because it was 'time to wash off this horrible color off your hair'. Khroma had looked at them both, and had laughed, never helping her whining king. It had been strange, this time, like nothing had happened in those past months, like they hadn't infiltrate a castle to kill demons a day before. But now Alexei was dead, and his sister could rest in peace, finally.

Once, Elucifer had asked him what he was to call him now. Duke had only answer that he was to address him as he had for the past two months. Lienzo was dead to him. He had been a young naive noble, but he had die the day his sister had been murdered. Now he wanted to begin a new life, and let the ghosts rest in peace.

They were currently in some inn's room, Duke laying in his lover arms, content to just stay here. He still had trouble to believe some much things had changed in so little time.

"Is it really finished ?" He murmured to Elucifer.

"It is. Now we are going to Releweise, and... We'll live happily forever, like in a children fairytale. What do you think ?"

"In those tales, the heroes marry and have plenty of children." He reminded his lover.

"Ah, yes. The children will be difficult. We could adopt, but I don't know if I could raise even one child, so plenty of them... And despite the long hair, you don't seem like the mother type."

He paused, then seemed to hesitate.

"But the marriage, that we can do." He tried to think of something to say, but failing, he only asked one question. "Would you like to marry me ?"

"It is the worst marriage proposal I have ever heard." Duke smiled.

"Oh, come on, you didn't hear that much of them, did you ?" He smiled. "And you know I'm not very good at it. And you didn't answer my question." He seemed apprehensive now.

"Then, Elucifer, the answer is yes. I do want to marry you."

All worry vanishing from his face, Elucifer smiled, a smile mirrored by Duke, and went to kiss his lover.

WMWMW


End file.
